A maternity ward and a children’s ward have been destroyed in a Russian airstrike on a hospital in Ukraine, officials there say.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has tweeted images of the destroyed building in the southern city of Mariupol.
He said: “Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital.
“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.”
Ukrainian MP, Dmyto Gurin, posted a video of the blast’s aftermath showing the burnt-out hospital building surrounded by smoke and rubble.
He wrote: “Mariupol. Russian artillery ruined maternity hospital and children hospital.
“A lot of killed and wounded women.
“No information about children and newborn yet.
“Hey, @UN how are you doing? Please retweet.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless.”
He said the UK was considering more support for Ukraine to defend itself against airstrikes and would hold President Vladimir Putin to account “for his terrible crimes”.
Earlier defence secretary Ben Wallace told the MPs that the Ministry of Defence was looking at whether they could supply anti-aircraft missiles as well as more anti-tank weapons.
Foreign secretary Liz Truss said the Russian attack is “absolutely abhorrent” but continued to reject Ukraine’s request for a no-fly zone to be imposed in its skies.
Speaking in Washington, she said: “The best way we can protect the skies is through anti-air weaponry which the UK is now going to be supplying to Ukraine.
“Of course the attack on the hospital is absolutely abhorrent, reckless and appalling.”
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