Newborn Killed In Russian Strike On Ukraine's Maternity Ward, Mother Lives

According to Ukraine's State Emergency Services, the woman had just given birth to the child at the maternity ward in the city of Vilnyansk, in the Zaporizhzhia region.

A mother was rescued Wednesday from the rubble of a hospital in southern Ukraine after a Russian strike destroyed the facility, killing her newborn baby, Ukrainian, CNN reported citing officials.

According to Ukraine's State Emergency Services, the woman had just given birth to the child at the maternity ward in the city of Vilnyansk, in the Zaporizhzhia region. A doctor was also rescued they said. According to preliminary information, no one else is under the rubble, they added, CNN reported. 

Earlier, the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration said on Telegram that Russian forces had "launched huge rockets at a small maternity ward at the Vilnyansk hospital." Vilnyansk is a Ukrainian-controlled city. Parts of the wider Zaporizhzhia region are occupied by Russia, which claims it as Russian territory in violation of international law.

According to CNN, the woman had just given birth to the child in the maternity ward. A doctor was also rescued, Ukraine’s State emergency Services said. According to the preliminary information received, nobody else was under the rubble. Earlier, the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration said on Telegram that Russian forces had launched huge rockets at a small maternity ward at the Vilnyansk hospital.

“Grief fills our hearts — a baby who had just appeared in the world has been killed,” Oleksandr Starukh, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region which includes Vilniansk, wrote on Telegram. Condemning the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “The terrorist state continues to fight against civilians and civilian objects.”

He further said that the enemy will be held to account for all the evil he brought to the country. “The enemy has once again decided to try to achieve with terror and murder what he wasn’t able to achieve for nine months and won’t be able to achieve. Instead, he will only be held to account for all the evil he brought to our country.”

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and called the aggression as a “special military operation” aimed at the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine.

(With CNN Inputs)