Sept. 28 (UPI) — Authorities said 10 people died and 22 were wounded in a “double-tap” airstrike on a hospital in the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Saturday as President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced what called Russia’s “war” on medical facilities.
The Sumy Regional Military Administration said in a Telegram post that of the 22 wounded, 15 survivors were hospitalized, including five in serious condition and seven victims who were receiving outpatient treatment.
All of the hospital’s patients were evacuated to other healthcare facilities, authorities said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the first of the two attacks killed one person, destroyed several floors of the structure and brought rescuers to the scene. Then, while first responders were evacuating victims, “the enemy struck again,” he said.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces hit another part of Sumy Oblast with a powerful KAB-guided bomb attack on Saturday. The area is near the Russian-Ukrainian border and has become a constant target for Russian attacks in the wake of Ukraine‘s successful counter-offensive incursion into the neighboring Kursk Oblast of Russia,
Zelensky said help is being provided to the victims of the hospital attack.
“The rescue operation is ongoing as we continue to address the aftermath and save lives,” he wrote in a social media post. “We are doing everything possible to provide our people with the help they need.
“Everyone in the world who speaks about this war must pay attention to what Russia is targeting,” he added. “They are waging war on hospitals, civilian objects, and people’s lives. Only strength can force Russia into peace. Peace through strength is the only right way. I thank everyone who supports us on this path.”
