Ukraine's deputy PM on Mariupol hospital: 'There is no doubt this was a targeted attack'

Olha Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister of Ukraine, confirmed that Russian forces had bombed a children's hospital and maternity ward in the port city of Mariupol, claiming “a lot” of casualties. Local officials reported late Wednesday that 17 people had been wounded in the strike.

Stefanishyna denounced it as a deliberate attack on a civilian target, adding that it was in line with Russia's continued violation of agreements on establishing humanitarian corridors. She accused Moscow of failing to enforce the agreement, adding that the only evacuations that have been implemented were ones with an international presence. 

She said Ukraine held out limited hope that scheduled talks between Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers this Thursday in Turkey would bear fruit. She reiterated calls for Western countries to put in place a no-fly zone on humanitarian grounds, adding that the supply of fighter jets by NATO to Ukraine was still on the table.

She warned that Russia had shut off the Chernobyl nuclear plant and claimed that this was part of a series of reckless actions that increase the threat of a nuclear accident. While the International Atomic Energy Agency claimed the power cut had not created a safety issue, she said a risk was indeed present and needed to be addressed.