Russia refutes reports about attack on hospital in Mariupol, calls it 'fake news'

As Moscow's military attack in Kyiv continues, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy has refuted the claims about attacking a hospital in Mariupol. He called it "fake news" and stressed that it is "disturbing" that the UN disseminates information without verification. He made the remarks on Twitter in response to the statement of UN Secretary-General Antonia Guterres on the attack.

In his tweet, Dmitry Polyanskiy even shared the link of the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya on 7 March. Polyanskiy tweeted, "That’s how #Fakenews is born. We warned in our statement back on 7 March that this hospital has been turned into a military object by radicals. Very disturbing that the UN spreads this information without verification." Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attack on a hospital "horrific" and emphasized that civilians for paying the "highest price for a war." He asserted that violence must stop and stressed that "end the bloodshed." 

UN Chief calls to 'end the bloodshed'

Antonio Guterres tweeted, "Today's attack on a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, where maternity and children's wards are located, is horrific. Civilians are paying the highest price for a war that has nothing to do with them. This senseless violence must stop. End the bloodshed now." Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, 9 March, shared a video of the maternity hospital in Mariupol which he insisted was attacked by Russian troops. In his tweet, Zelenskyy asserted that children and civilians of Ukraine were "under wreckage" due to strikes by Russian troops. He again reiterated his demand to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine to stop killings in his country. 

Vassily Nebenzia alleges Ukraine of using people as 'hostages'

Earlier on 7 March, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine asserted that threat was posed to civilians in Ukraine by "Ukrainian radicals and neo-Nazis." Nebenzia stated that the infrastructure of Ukraine was not targeted by Russian armed forces and Ukrainian radicals and neo-Nazis held people in various cities as "hostages." He alleged Ukraine of using civilians as human shields and they were not allowing them to evacuate even after humanitarian corridors and ceasefires were announced by Russian troops.  He even claimed that 200 thousand civilians were stuck in Mariupol and "held at gunpoint by the Azov battalion." 

Russia-Ukraine War

As the battle between Russia and Ukraine enters its 15th day, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry on Thursday, March 10, informed that Russia has lost 335 tanks, 1105 combat armoured vehicles, 123 units of artillery systems and 49 aircraft. According to Ukraine Defence Ministry, more than 12000 Russian troops have lost their lives. The Russian armed forces have lost 81 helicopters, 3 ships, 526 vehicles, 60 fuel tanks, 7 unmanned aerial vehicles operational-tactical levels. 

Image: AP/Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa