In Odesa, the maternity hospital that was damaged during the nighttime attack by Russian drones has temporarily suspended the admission of patients. The city council reported that all women, newborns, and staff were transferred to other specialized medical facilities.
This is reported by Finway
“The damaged maternity hospital has temporarily suspended admissions; patients, infants, and staff have been transferred to other specialized institutions.”
Extent of destruction in Odesa’s medical facilities
In addition to the maternity hospital, significant damage was also inflicted on other medical facilities in the Primorsky district located nearby. The shockwave shattered over 60 windows and damaged internal doors in the consulting and diagnostic center, day hospital, children’s clinic, and family outpatient clinic. Despite the damage, these medical institutions continue to operate and provide assistance to patients.
Evacuation during the attack and its consequences for the city
The director of Odesa maternity hospital No. 5, Ihor Shpak, reported that a Shahed-type drone hit the roof of the facility, severely damaging the roofing, the ceiling between the fourth and third floors, and destroying the maternity wards. Thanks to the prompt actions of the staff, it was possible to evacuate people in a timely manner. At the time of the attack, there were 27 medical workers, 32 patients, and 22 newborns in the building, including a woman with triplets.
During the nighttime attack on March 28, two people were killed in Odesa, and 12 others were injured, including a nine-year-old boy. Recently, Russian military forces have been systematically shelling Ukrainian cities with various types of weaponry, including strike drones, missiles, aerial bombs, and multiple launch rocket systems.
The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations regard such strikes as war crimes committed by the Russian Federation and emphasize their targeted nature. Systematic shelling of critical infrastructure, including medical facilities, aims to deprive the civilian population of electricity, heat, water, communication, and medical assistance, which corresponds to the characteristics of genocidal actions.
Human rights defenders and experts on crimes against humanity note that numerous instances during the Russian armed aggression may fall under the definition of genocide: from public calls for the destruction of Ukrainians and shelling of critical infrastructure to the deportation of children and the destruction of Ukrainian culture in occupied territories.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, obligates 149 member countries to prevent such actions and punish the perpetrators, regardless of whether these crimes occur in wartime or peacetime. Genocide, according to the Convention, is defined as acts aimed at the total or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group through killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm, or deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.
At the same time, the leadership of Russia continues to deny that its forces deliberately strike civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities, and killing peaceful residents.