Nine killed as Russia targets hospital in Ukraine’s Sumy

Russian forces hit a medical centre in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday morning and later struck the building again as it was being evacuated, killing a total of nine people, a Ukrainian official said.

Ukrainian prosecutors said at the time of the attacks, 86 patients and 38 staff members were in the hospital. “The first attack killed one person and damaged the ceilings of several floors of the hospital,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. As people were being evacuated, the Russians struck again, killing a further five people, he said. Ukrainian emergencies service later said nine people were killed and 10 wounded in all.

“Everyone in the world who talks about this war should pay attention to where Russia is hitting. They are fighting hospitals, civilian objects, and people’s lives,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

“Only force can force Russia to peace. Peace through force is the only right way,” he added.