CIR's new report claims Russia repeatedly targeted Ukrainian hospitals. Based on the study, some medical facilities were even attacked three times. Meanwhile, others are targeted more than once.
Russia Repeatedly Targeted Ukrainian Hospitals, Claims CIR
According to The Guardian's latest report, the Center for Information Resilience claims that the Russian military deliberately and repeatedly attacked medical infrastructures in Kherson city.
Its new report revealed that these inhumane attacks destroyed and caused serious damage to children's hospitals, a regional clinic, as well as some maternity wards.
CIR explained that Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops were able to breach into Kherson in 2022. However, Ukrainian soldiers evicted them from the southern city, thanks to their effective counteroffensive.
But, in December 2022, the Russian military decided to bombard Kherson city from dug-in positions, which were located near the left, eastern bank of the Dnipro River.
These bombardments attacked medical infrastructures and other civilian facilities, such as schools, railway stations, and private residential houses.
"According to official reports, on New Year's Eve, Kherson and the surrounding area were shelled at least 40 times, with rockets hitting civilian buildings and critical infrastructure," said CIR via its official study.
CIR provided the exact Ukrainian hospitals in Kherson that were targeted by the Russian military, as well as how many times they were bombarded:
- Kherson City Clinical Hospital complex (attacked 3x)
- Cardiology Center (attacked 3x)
- Children's rehabilitation center (attacked 2x)
- Regional children's hospital (attacked 2x)
- Maternity Hospital No. 1 (attacked 2)
- Neurosurgery (attacked once)
- Kherson City Clinical Hospital (attacked once)
Proving Russia is Responsible For Hospital Attacks
CIR's researchers said that they relied on witness accounts, social media photos, as well as satellite imagery, and official Ukrainian channels.
The non-profit organization said that all these are strong evidence that the Russian military is responsible for shelling Ukranian medical facilities.
CIR said that one image even showed one round that left a large hole in the south-facing wall of the city's regional cardiology center.
Based on the information it acquired, the agency compared Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine to the Russian military tactics in Syria.
"Russia's activities in Kherson are strikingly reminiscent of Russian tactics in Syria, where apparently punitive strikes were delivered day after day for years in rebel-held areas of Idlib and Aleppo," said CIR.
