Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia has shelled kindergartens, residential blocks and “buses with children,” during a Saturday news conference, according to CNN.
As Russia continued to bombard Ukraine Saturday, gunfire was also reported near a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
The New York Times said that mortar did not strike the hospital.
According to a previous live briefing report from The New York Times citing Ukrainian outlet TSN, a child was killed at the hospital and another two were injured, along with two adults. However, The New York Times had not verified that information as of Saturday.
The Guardian identified the hospital as Okhmadyt children’s cancer hospital, which received a grant last year, said Lviv Now.
According to Kyiv Independent reporter Illia Ponomarenko, the battle in Kyiv had claimed 14 Ukrainian military service members and home guards as well as six civilians by 3:24 p.m. EST. He said 71 injured were injured, including 25 civilians.
As of early Saturday afternoon, the Ukrainian National Guard said that since the start of the war, Russians had killed 198 people, including three children. Another 1,115 people have been wounded, including 33 children. In addition to Kyiv, Russians have attacked cities throughout the country.
At least three journalists have reportedly been shot during the invasion, according to Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.
Although casualties from Russia’s invasion into the sovereign nation continue to add up, Ukraine’s strong defense has surprised the world.
A senior Pentagon official said Saturday most of the approximately 150,000 Russian soldiers who massed on the Ukrainian border in the weeks ahead of the attack were fighting in the country and were “increasingly frustrated by their lack of momentum” in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance, especially in the north, according to The New York Times.
The British Ministry of Defense also said the Russian advance had “temporarily slowed, likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance.”
“What I can say is that…Ukraine’s military have been demonstrating outstanding anti-tank effectiveness,” said Ponomarenko in a tweet. “I’m just losing count of Russian armor convoys slaughtered every several hours across the country.”
By 5 p.m. EST Saturday, the Kyiv Independent said Russian forces are about to conduct heavy airstrikes and rocket attacks against Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused offers to evacuate and remains in Kyiv.
“The real fighting for Kyiv is ongoing,” Zelensky said in a video message Saturday. “We will win.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Zelensky, said that Russia suffered more than 3,500 fatalities and that Ukrainians had taken around 200 prisoners of war by Saturday morning, according to BBC reporter Myroslava Petsa. The Jerusalem Post also reported that six Russian government websites were down Saturday.
While casualties mount, the U.S. and allies agreed to cut selected Russian banks off from SWIFT, a service that facilitates global transactions among thousands of financial institutions. The U.S. also announced that it would impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and send additional financial aid to Ukraine.
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