View of the grounds of the children’s hospital after a rocket hit. The site is visited by German Ambassador Martin Jäger (not pictured). /image alliance, Andreas Stein
Kiev Following the Russian rocket attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Germany has provided an additional four million euros in emergency aid, including for the damaged children’s hospital.
We will give four million very quickly as immediate emergency aid and then provide ten million for the reconstruction of the hospital, German Ambassador Martin Jörger told reporters on an on-site visit to the damaged Ochmatdyt children’s clinic.
Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) had already announced 10 million euros for the reconstruction of the hospital in the middle of the week. Jaeger said the emergency aid would be used for medicines and other urgent needs, including in hospitals that received patients from the damaged children’s hospital.
When we think of Ochmatdyt, we also have to think of the people living in the areas close to the front and who also need medical care, because these people are under attack every day, the ambassador stressed. German aid will therefore also benefit the affected people close to the front.
The general director of the children’s hospital, Volodymyr Shovnir, estimated the damage caused by the rocket attack to medical equipment alone at the equivalent of almost nine million euros. “We want to meet this need through sponsors who are willing to purchase these devices in the quality and quantity that the hospital requires,” he said. The remaining funds provided will be used to repair the damage.
Many donations for the children’s clinic
President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had already instructed the government to provide the equivalent of a good nine million euros for reconstruction. According to media reports, the equivalent of more than 17 million euros has been raised through fundraising campaigns.
A week and a half ago, the Ukrainian capital Kiev was attacked with rockets by the Russian military. One rocket hit the grounds of the country’s largest children’s hospital, Ochmatdyt, and damaged several buildings.
A doctor and a hospital visitor were killed. Dozens of people, including children, were injured. The attack drew strong international condemnation. Moscow has rejected the accusations.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion since February 2022 and has repeatedly urged its Western allies to strengthen its air defenses. © dpa/aerzteblatt.de