First such destructive attack this year: Sumy Emergency Service on Russian strikes on hospitals

Oleh Strilka, spokesperson for Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) in the Sumy region, discussed the morning of March 19 and the impact of Russian attacks on the city and region in an interview with Hromadske Radio.

"We are facing a difficult situation right now. Back in late February, there were strikes on residential areas. Now, in March, we have almost weekly hits on either critical infrastructure or educational institutions. And this evening, there were strikes on medical facilities. The strike hit a five-story building late in the evening. Of course, patients who were there were already resting. The strike caused a fire on the roof. Firefighters quickly localized all the fire sources, and then the evacuation was carried out. There were 170 people inside, and now we have more information. Many of them were immobile or had limited mobility. Therefore, the evacuation took place from both the upper and the first floors. Some people had to be carried by hand, and others were moved using stretchers. In total, our staff managed to evacuate 147 patients, including 9 people with limited mobility," said Oleh Strilka.

According to him, the shockwave was massive, causing damage not only to this medical facility but also to a children's hospital located about 50 meters from the impact's epicenter. Many windows were shattered there.  

The spokesperson for the State Emergency Service emphasized that the evacuated people are fine; they were relocated to a safer place, but the exact location is not being disclosed for security reasons.  

"This night was very difficult. First, there was a strike on the city of Sumy, around midnight, and then a strike on the border area. Information will come later, and it will shock you. This has never happened before, it’s the first such strike this year. Last year, there were strikes by KABs on health resorts in Sumy, but this year, it’s the first time. And less than 24 hours later, two such insidious, targeted strikes. This goes beyond any boundaries," he added.

• On the evening of Tuesday, March 18, Russian forces launched drone strikes on Ukrainian territory. As of this morning, casualties have been reported in the Kyiv region, along with strikes on Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions.