Ukraine rejects Russian claim that its own missile hit Kyiv children's hospital

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Ukrainian anti-missile fire, not Russia, had hit a children's hospital in Kyiv on Monday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov provided no evidence to support the assertion, but told reporters: "I insist, we do not conduct strikes on civilian targets."

Ukrainian authorities say Russia struck Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital, the main children's hospital in Kyiv, with a missile on Monday and rained missiles on other cities across Ukraine, killing at least 41 civilians in the deadliest wave of airstrikes for months.

Peskov, at his daily briefing, was asked how Russia could say it does not attack civilian targets after the tragedy at the hospital.

"I urge you to be guided by the statements of the Russian Ministry of Defence, which absolutely excludes that there were attacks on civilian targets and which states that we are talking about a falling anti-missile system," he said.

"We continue to insist that we do not attack civilian targets. Strikes are carried out against critical infrastructure facilities, against military targets that are in one way or another related to the military potential of the regime."

Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that it was a NASAMS surface-to-air missile launched by Ukraine that hit the children's hospital in Kyiv on Monday.

WATCH l Bloodied staff, anguished scream in hospital missile strike aftermath:

Many thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the course of the war since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. A much smaller number of civilians have been killed inside Russia and in parts of Ukraine that Russia controls and has claimed as its own.

The Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) presented new evidence on Tuesday it said proved that the hospital had been directly hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

It shared images of a missile engine fragment it said was found at the site. The SBU also said that analysis of the trajectory and nature of the damage caused prove it was a direct strike.

The Kh-101 that Ukraine says was used is a cruise missile that typically carries a 450-kg explosive warhead.

"All patients from Okhmatdyt were moved to other medical facilities," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "We continue our work to increase the defence of our cities and communities against Russian terror. There will be decisions. The world has the required force for that."

The strike at the children's hospital led to condemnations from Western leaders, many of whom will be in Washington, D.C., beginning Tuesday for a 75th anniversary NATO summit. Zelenskyy is also expected to attend and encourage alliance members to bolster the country's missile defence system.