Russia Says Claims It Bombed Maternity Hospital Is Fake News

Russia has said any claims suggesting it bombed a children’s hospital in Mariupol is ‘fake news’. 

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, wrote on Twitter that the building had long been taken over by Ukrainian ‘radicals’, who had turned it into a military base to fire from. 

'That’s how fake news is born,' he said. 'We warned in our statement back on 7 March that this hospital has been turned into a military object by radicals. 

'Very disturbing that UN spreads this information without verification.'

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, also spoke out against the claim, describing it as 'information terrorism'.

Yesterday, March 9, it was reported that ‘Russian occupying forces had dropped several bombs on a children’s hospital’. 

According to Mariupol city council, three people were killed, including a child. At least 17 other people have been wounded, including women waiting to give birth, doctors, and children.

President Zelenskyy took to Twitter to condemn the attack.

'People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' he wrote. 

In a further statement released via Telegram, Zelenskyy appealed to his ally nations, stating: 'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war. 

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward? Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In response, Boris Johnson tweeted: 'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' adding that President Putin will be held 'to account for his terrible crimes'.

Today, it has been reported that two more hospitals were bombed in the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr.

Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said Russian airstrikes on the city had landed on the hospitals – with one of them being a children's hospital – but thankfully no one was wounded.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information

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