Shelling of Kyiv hospitals on July 8 must be investigated as war crime — White House

Michael Carpenter, the senior director for European affairs of the US National Security Council, reacted to the July 8 Russian strikes on the Ohmatdyt hospital and the medical center on the left bank of Kyiv. He believes that this is a crime that needs to be investigated separately.

The European Pravda correspondent reported from Carpenter's briefing, Rubryka quotes.

The American politician reminded that this is not the first time that Russia has attacked Ukrainian medical facilities. The shelling of Ohmatdyt children's hospital highlights the need to investigate such attacks.

"It's terrible, it can't be justified, and of course it should be investigated. The attack on the maternity hospital, as well as the children's hospital, is unfortunately not the first time in the war. I expect that this attack will require a deeper study, an investigation," Carpenter stated.

The Security Service of Ukraine has already qualified Russia's missile attack on Ohmatdyt as a war crime. Together with the Prosecutor General's Office, criminal proceedings were opened under Part 2 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Violence against medical personnel and damage to medical transport, hospitals, and equipment are war crimes, according to international law.

On June 24, before the shelling of Ohmatdyt and the medical center in Kyiv, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine said that since the beginning of the invasion, Russian strikes damaged 1,619 medical facilities, and another 214 were completely destroyed beyond repair.