Mother of Girl Injured in Kyiv Attack Is Russian, Father Confirms

The young daughter of a Russian citizen was hospitalized in yesterday’s attack on Kyiv, the child’s father has confirmed.

June 26 saw the first Russian attack on Kyiv in three weeks, with at least 14 Russian missiles launched at the capital at around 6.20am.

The attack was launched from the Caspian Sea, Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Command of the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed, adding that “[Kyiv’s] air defense system worked and some missiles were shot down. There is photo evidence of one shot down missile. We are looking for pieces of the others.”

However, missiles that managed to evade the air defense systems struck multiple locations, including a kindergarten and an apartment block building in the Shevchenkivsky District.

The same street had previously been hit by the Russian invaders on April 29, causing the death of Ukrainian journalist Vira Hyrych, who had worked for the U.S.-funded outlets Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. The building hit yesterday was undergoing repairs from collateral damage received from the attack in April, leaving one person dead and several wounded.

Among the casualties is a seven-year-old girl, shown in harrowing scenes on numerous news channels being carried out of the rubble by local firemen and paramedics.

The child, who has not been named, was taken to a hospital where she is now said to be in a stable condition following surgery.

“She suffered two large wounds, one on the neck, one behind the ear, and a small wound in the mouth,” said Anatolii Tymoshenko, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at the hospital treating her. “The girl was lucky that the wounds were not deep and the deep vessels of the neck were not affected.”

The Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital released a brief statement: “The child was injured in a rocket attack on a residential building in Kyiv. Rescuers pulled the child out from under the rubble and took her to NDSL “Okhmatdyt”. The girl arrived at the hospital conscious. Okhmatdyt’s specialists found she had suffered from numerous wounds, bruises, and abrasions. She was provided with highly qualified medical care, was operated on and is now in a stable condition. Her life is not in danger.”

The girl’s mother, Ekaterina Volkova, was also seriously injured, and was rescued from under the rubble after being stuck under concrete slabs for almost three hours, Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on Telegram.

In a video widely circulated on Twitter, the child’s father angrily shows members of the press his wife Ekaterina’s passport, confirming that she was born in Russia and holds duel-citizenship – stressing that the Russians are not only attacking Ukrainians, but also their own.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attacks were Moscow’s attempt to “intimidate” Ukraine ahead of this year’s summit of G7 leaders. The meeting, taking place between June 26-28 in the Bavarian Alps, sees world leaders gathering to discuss further plans to provide aid, both financial and military, to help the country defend itself against Putin’s ongoing invasion.