Ukraine updates: Sumy hospital hit by deadly double attack
September 28, 2024
What you need to know
Ukraine said Russian forces attacked a medical center in Sumy twice early on Saturday, killing at least eight people.
Sumy lies close to the Russian border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used Iranian-supplied "Shahed" drones in the attack.
In other news, the Ukrainian government had earlier announced that nine children had returned to Ukraine from Russia. Qatar was involved in facilitating the return of the children.
Here's a look at the latest developments regarding Russia's war in Ukraine on Saturday, September 28
Several children return from Russia to Ukraine
The Ukrainian government said nine children and a 20-year-old man were returned to Ukraine from Russia.
Ukrainian human rights ombdudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Qatar facilitated the return of the children.
"Ukraine is ready for everyone to return and will provide basic humanitarian, medical, psychological and social assistance," Lubinets said.
Ukraine and the UN have accused Russia of forcibly transferring thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied Ukrainian territory. Russia has claimed that the children were being evacuated with their consent.
The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of implementing new citizenship rules that would force the Russian nationality on the transferred children, stealing their Ukrainian identity.
Hospital in Ukraine's Sumy hit by deadly double strike
A hospital in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, not far from the Russian border, was targeted by two consecutive Russian attacks early on Saturday, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the first attack left one person dead. Then, while evacuations of patients and employees were ongoing, Russia launched another strike.
"As of now, we know that eight people have been killed," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said later after the attack. "Eleven others have been wounded, and 113 patients have been evacuated from the hospital."
Zelenskyy said the Russian attack on the hospital utilized "Shahed" drones, which are designed by Iran.
The method of striking a target once and then hitting it again shortly thereafter as responders arrive is known as a "double tap."
Russia has been accused of carrying out "double tap" strikes not only during its invasion of Ukraine but also earlier during its intervention in the Syrian civil war. The method has been criticized as a war crime as it is aimed at civilians rushing to help the wounded.
The city of Sumy is close to Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been carrying out an incursion to distract the Russian military.
wd/lo (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)