KIEV (Reuters) – Russian forces bombed a medical center in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday morning and then bombed again while evacuating the building, killing a total of eight people, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian prosecutors said that at the time of the attacks, there were 86 patients and 38 staff at the hospital.
“The first attack led to the death of one person and damage to the ceilings of several floors of the hospital,” Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said on the Telegram app.
He added that while people were being evacuated, the Russians bombed again, killing five more people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said eight people were killed and 11 others were injured.
“Everyone in the world who talks about this war should pay attention to where Russia is hitting. They are fighting hospitals, civilian targets and people’s lives,” Zelensky said via the Telegram app.
“Only force can force Russia to peace. Peace through force is the only right path.”
Klimenko did not specify the weapons used in Saturday’s attacks, but the regional administration and air force said the strike was carried out with drones.
Attacks on the city of Sumy and the Sumy region have become more frequent since Ukrainian forces launched an operation in Russia’s Kursk region in August and seized dozens of settlements.
The city of Sumy is located only 32 kilometers from the Russian border, and Russian forces are attacking the region and the city with drones and guided bombs.
The Ukrainian air force said earlier on Saturday that it shot down 69 of 73 drones during an overnight Russian attack that included two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles.
The military administration there said that air defenses destroyed about 15 Russian attack drones in the capital, Kiev, and on its outskirts.
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