Ukrainian officials said Russia attacked a hospital in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine early Saturday, killing 10 people and wounding at least 22 others.
Danielle Bell, head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, said “wandering weapons” – or suicide drones – targeted St Panteleimon Clinical Hospital in two attacks 45 minutes apart.
“Most of the deaths occurred during the second attack, which occurred after first responders arrived at the scene and patients attempted to evacuate,” he said.
Sumy’s regional administration said late Saturday that 10 people had been killed and 22 injured, 15 of whom were in hospital, five of whom were in serious condition. It said all patients at the hospital were moved to other facilities.
Sumy City Council said on its website that in addition to the hospital, nine high-rise buildings were damaged.
Bell said she was in Sumy last week after a deadly attack on a geriatric center on September 19, which killed at least one civilian and wounded 13, and that she had visited another hospital complex in the city. Remembered the attack on August.
“Medical facilities are protected under international humanitarian law and are entitled to special protection. They should not be the object of attack,” he said. He said that since August 6, 33 civilians have been killed and 132 injured in Sumy city and surrounding areas.
Ukrainian prosecutors said there were 86 patients and 38 staff members at the hospital at the time of the Saturday morning attack.
drone attacks
The hospital shared a photo on its Facebook page, saying one of those killed was a nurse and mother of two daughters named Tatiana Tikhonova.
“The first strike killed one person and damaged the roofs of several hospital floors,” Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said on Telegram.
“Everyone in the world who talks about this war should pay attention to where Russia is attacking. They are fighting for hospitals, civilian objects and people’s lives,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram. “
“Only force can compel Russia to peace. Peace through force is the only true way.”
Klimenko did not specify what weapons were used in Saturday’s attacks. The regional administration and the air force said the attack was carried out by a drone, which Bell identified as a stray weapon.
Attacks on the city of Sumy and the Sumy region have become more frequent since Ukrainian forces launched operations in Russia’s Kursk region in August and captured dozens of settlements.
The city of Sumy is located just 32 km (20 miles) from the Russian border, and Russian forces, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, have been attacking the region and the city with drones and guided bombs.