IAEA Board condemns attack on Kyiv children’s hospital, blaming Russia

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VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors passed a resolution on Friday condemning Monday’s military strike on a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, blaming Russia.

The 35-nation Board passed the resolution by 20 votes to two with 12 abstentions, said diplomats at the emergency, closed-door meeting which was held at Ukraine’s request.

Ukraine asked the Board to consider the matter because Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital had received support from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the field of cancer diagnostics and treatment.

“(The Board) Condemns in the strongest terms the disruption of IAEA technical assistance to Ukraine caused by the Russian Federation’s recent military strike that hit the ‘Okhmatdyt’ National Children’s Specialized Hospital,” the resolution said.

Kyiv suffered on Monday one of its worst days of airstrikes since the start of Russia’s war, and attacks across the country killed at least 44 people including two adults at Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, Ukrainian officials have said.

Moscow denies attacking the hospital and has blamed Ukrainian anti-missile fire for the hit on the clinic, which is one of Europe’s largest and treats patients with serious conditions such as cancer and kidney disease.

A U.N. rights mission has said there is a “high likelihood” the hospital took a direct hit from a Russian missile, and Ukraine’s security service said it had unequivocal evidence the medical facility was hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

Ukraine informed the IAEA that no radioactive sources were present at the hospital, the agency said on social media platform X on Wednesday, adding that there were no nuclear safety or security risks at the site.