Ukraine war live: Kyiv children’s hospital hit as Russian daytime strikes on Ukraine kill dozens

For millions of Ukrainians there is a taxing familiarity to
Russia’s invasion.

Sirens frequently sound across different cities. Explosions
occasionally follow. As for towns closer to the front line, they’ve either
become deserted, reduced to rubble, or both.

It’s now the story of Chasiv Yar, as invading troops
continue to surround it, or what’s left of it.

In Kyiv, improved air defences had made it feel like a city
of relative safety. But the weight of worry and interrupted sleep feels heavy
for many.

And when the missiles do come, they come in numbers.

Every few months or so, an image breaks the rhythm of this
gruelling war.

The sight of young cancer patients sitting outside the
damaged Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv was a searing illustration of how
these strikes don’t discriminate.

They are designed to mostly suppress and terrorise.

President Zelensky has promised to retaliate, and with his
forces now able to hit some targets inside Russia with Western weapons, he can
afford to be hawkish.

It’s partly why Ukrainian troops have been able to stabilise
the front line in the north-eastern Kharkiv region after a major Russian
assault from across the border.

Moscow’s targeting of Ukrainian cities doesn’t influence the
battlefield, but it will both continue and be expected.

Image source, REuters