The United Kingdom has dispatched six further planeloads of medical supplies and equipment to Ukraine, as Health Secretary Sajid Javid accused Russia of war crimes in striking medical institutions.
According to Mr. Javid, there have been more than 25 attacks on health care facilities and hospitals since the invasion began. “This is a war crime and Russia will pay for the crimes it’s carrying out,” he declared.
Russia has alleged, without providing any proof, that the hospital bombs were staged.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced a Thursday attack on a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol that killed three people, including a toddler, as “depraved”
According to an intelligence briefing from the Ministry of Defence, multiple cities are still besieged by Russian forces and are being heavily shelled.
The majority of Russian ground forces are currently 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Kyiv, according to the MoD, while a massive armoured column appears to be dispersing in an attempt to encircle the city.
Mr Javid stated during a visit to Birmingham Children’s Hospital that “Russia needs to stop its aggression”
“This is a war started by Russia, completely unprovoked, completely unjustified,” he continued.
He stated that the World Health Organization had identified more than 25 health institutions that had been targeted or attacked by Russian forces, which he described as “completely unacceptable”
Civilians, as well as the infrastructure on which they rely for survival, are not permitted to be deliberately assaulted under the Geneva Conventions and other international treaties attempting to govern hostilities.
Following the shelling of residential areas in multiple cities, the United Kingdom was one of 39 nations that submitted Russia to the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes war crimes, on March 3.
Mr Javid stated that further medical help, in addition to the six planeloads already dispatched, will be sent in the coming days.
The shipments contained 650,000 items, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, including wound-care packs, needles, syringes, intravenous lines, patient monitors, infusion pumps, and protective equipment.
More than £400 million in UK aid has been committed to Ukraine, including humanitarian assistance and economic assistance.
Beginning in January, the United Kingdom was among the first to deliver firearms and other military supplies.
According to the defence secretary, help to Ukraine’s military has also included body armor, helmets, boots, ear defenders, ration packs, rangefinders, and communications equipment.
However, the UK has come under fire for its reaction to the relocation of more than 2.5 million Ukrainians, with just 1,000 refugees granted visas under the Ukraine Family Scheme as of Friday. On Saturday, no new numbers were available.