Russian missiles kill dozens in Ukraine, gut Kiev children's hospital

Russia has fired dozens of missiles at cities across Ukraine in a massive barrage that killed at least 24 people and smashed into a children's hospital in Kiev, trapping victims under the rubble.

Dozens of volunteers, doctors and rescue workers were digging through the debris of a part of Okhmatdyt paediatric hospital in a desperate search for survivors after the rare day-time bombardment on Monday.

First responders ran for cover when sirens and a blast sounded hours after the initial strikes that hit as Ukraine struggled to protect itself from Russian aerial attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces fired more than 40 missiles at at least five major civilian hubs mainly in the south and east of the country, as well as Kiev.

The attack came as Zelenskyy visited Warsaw before heading to the NATO summit in Washington, where he was expected to appeal for more military support from the country's allies.

Reporters at the scene of the attacks heard air raid sirens and explosions ring out as the missiles crashed into the capital and debris from downed projectiles rained down over the city.

The ceiling 'collapsed'

Natalia Svidler, 40, was in the hospital at the time of the strike with her two-year-old son, who was due to have surgery this week when the air raid sirens sounded.

"The nurses told us to go down to the basement. After a while, we heard a loud rumble and then the ceiling in the basement collapsed a little," she said at the scene.

"Everyone got very scared, of course. Everyone started screaming and running," she said.

City officials said the attack had also damaged several residential buildings and an office block in Kiev where reporters saw cars on fire and shredded trees in charred courtyards.

Ukrainian energy operator DTEK also said three electrical substations had been destroyed or damaged in the attack, the latest in a series of strikes that have halved the country's energy generation capacity in recent months.

Zelenskyy said that there were an unknown number of people trapped under the rubble of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital and it was not immediately clear how many had been killed.

One reporter saw one body at the scene, covered with an emergency blanket.

Municipal officials said that five people had been pulled from the rubble while at least 10 people had been killed in the barrage that hit Kiev.

Russian forces have repeatedly targeted the capital with massive barrages since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the last major attack on Kiev with drones and missiles was last month.