IAEA Board of Governors to consider attack on Okhmatdyt at extraordinary meeting

This was reported to Ukrinform's own correspondent in a commentary at the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organisations in Vienna.

"Russia has not only disregarded the lives of children with cancer, but also violated its obligations as a member of the IAEA to comply with nuclear safety," commented Viktoriia Kuvshynnykova, Acting Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organisations in Vienna.

It was pointed out that the Okhmatdyt hospital is implementing IAEA technical cooperation programmes aimed at supporting radiotherapy in Ukraine and reducing the mortality rate of children with cancer using modern nuclear medicine methods. The direct hit damaged the building and equipment of the Radiology Centre at Okhmatdyt. The rooms where the ultrasound diagnostic systems and equipment were located were destroyed. Patients in critical condition had to be quickly transferred to other medical facilities.

An extraordinary meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors will be held on Friday, 12 July.

As Ukrinform reported, on Monday, 8 July, Russia launched massive strikes on Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and other cities of Ukraine. As of the morning of 9 July, there were 38 dead, including four children, and 170 injured. In the capital, one of the rockets hit the building of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital. Two floors of the hospital's building, covering an area of approximately 400 square metres, were destroyed. Several other buildings were damaged.