This week, the country was shaken by a major Russian missile strike that hit a number of Ukrainian cities on Monday, including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih. Forty-four people were killed, including 33 in the capital, and 196 others wounded. Part of the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv was destroyed and a medical clinic, residential houses, and a business centre were damaged. Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed 30 out of 38 missiles that Russia used in the attack.
Evidence-based claims suggest that the Okhmatdyt hospital was Russia’s deliberate target. According to a representative of the Ukrainian Air Force, cruise missiles were flying very low off the ground, making it more difficult for the air defenses to detect them.
Rescue workers aided by volunteers were clearing the debris for two days. The public and business community joined efforts to help rebuild the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital and cater to the needs of the patients and those affected.
Later in the week, Bellingcat’s analysis pointed to a Russian launched Kh-101 cruise missile being the weapon that struck the Okhmatdyt hospital, adding to earlier official reports.
NATO allies gathered at the 75th anniversary summit in Washington this week pledged fresh aid to Ukraine, including more air defense systems. The summit’s declaration cements Ukraine’s irreversible pathway toward NATO, mentioning a “bridge” toward the country’s membership in the Alliance. The document also condemns a Russian missile strike on the Okhmatdyt hospital in Kyiv.
Twenty-three nations, EU sign Ukraine security compact on sidelines of NATO summit
Leaders of the countries that had endorsed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday.
Twenty-three nations — including most members of NATO and Japan — along with Ukraine and the EU signed on to the Ukraine Compact, a multilateral new deal that vows to address Ukraine’s immediate and long-term security needs, and to deter aggression against Ukraine in the future.
“Today, we announce the Ukraine Compact with a view towards coordinating and accelerating our collective efforts to meet Ukraine’s comprehensive security needs, as outlined in the Joint Declaration and in the security agreements and arrangements each of the signatories has completed with Ukraine,” the document says.
The agreement is open for other nations to join. It will stay in force as Ukraine pursues its pathway toward the EU and NATO.