Want to take you now
live to Disney
Pro and CNN's
Sam Kiley,
who's been following this for us.
Sam, describe the scene.
What are you seeing behind you?
Well, Boris, it's 11 hours
since whatever hit this medical clinic
did that.
Now, a good deal of the front
part of this
building has been taken down
by these diggers and cranes.
But you can see also
there are hope you can make it out.
They're still spraying water into that.
They're actually
collecting burning debris,
putting the fire out and then
taking it away in dumpsters now.
Two people were killed here.
The local authorities are saying
that's nothing
short of a miracle
because
they could have been much, much worse.
But the numbers in this clinic were down
because one medical shift had left
and the other medical shift
hadn't got underway.
So there were fewer people here,
but the majority of people in that
there were injured.
In terms of a profession,
certainly there are six doctors
at least
that were injured in there, two
people killed, a total of 30 people
injured in what was,
according to the World
Health Organization,
There has been a systematic targeting of
of medical facilities and medics
across the country
throughout this war
with nearly a thousand
occasions been recorded by the World
Health World Health
Organization excuse me.
And we saw, of course,
a similar pattern in Syria,
where the Russians
were absolutely systematic
about the destruction
of medical facilities.
But this is also a civilian area
anyway, where
it's difficult to see at night.
But we're surrounded
by residential buildings.
There's apartment
block there
there's several more over
in that direction, Boris.
And because of the targeting of civilians
and above
all, the targeting of a medical facility,
the French government
and no doubt other elements
within the international community
already describing this latest attack
as a war crime,
which President Zelensky inevitably
almost calls a terrorist crime.
Boris.
Yeah, the international community
decrying this
as a violation
of international humanitarian law.
Sam Kiley,
thank you so much for that reporting.
Let's get some perspective now
from General Mark Hertling.
He's a retired lieutenant general
in the United States Army.
Also a CNN military analyst.
General Hertling,
always great to see you.
Appreciate your perspective, sir.
Not the first time that we've seen
Russia target
civilian infrastructure,
but this attack specifically on a clinic
a hospital that treats patients
with mental illnesses.
This seems especially egregious
It is porous.
And when you take a look at the targeting
that Russia has executed
throughout this campaign,
as you just said,
they have targeted hospitals schools,
civilian infrastructure,
civilian apartment buildings
with some of the most
devastating of weapon systems.
You know, in
just looking from afar at that building,
that was £1,000 or greater bomb
that hit that thing.
It was a missile or a bomb or something.
But it was huge.
It wasn't just a small thing
and it was purposeful
because that hospital
is in the middle of a very large town
to Dnipro.
And again,
it just summarizes
the Russian way of war.
As Sam said,
they've done it
before in Syria and Chechnya
and all the other places
they have fought.
And it just exacerbates
the suffering
of the people of the country.
They are growing up against.
So in your mind,
how much does this sort of targeting
have to do with the upcoming
Ukrainian counteroffensive
that we've been anticipating now
for some time?
Is this
potentially an act of desperation
or is just
this just part of the standard
operating procedure
of the Russian war machine?
I personally don't
I know a lot of people have been saying
this is sort of Russia's way of of
actually
trying to stop the offensive by Ukraine.
I don't believe that
they have been doing this
since the beginning of the war.
They have done this in every conflict
they have been in in the 20th century
since Mr. Putin has taken over.
Again, our emphasize
it is the Russian way of war
to purposely target civilians
in violation of the Hague Convention
and the Geneva protocols.
So the president of Russia,
his generals, whoever
is deciding on these targeting
are all guilty of war crimes, in my view.
General, I also wanted
to get
your thoughts on the Dutch
prime minister, Mark Ruta.
Today, he told journalists
that the decision to send F-16
fighter jets to Ukraine
had not been finalized yet.
The Netherlands is supposed to lead
the training mission on those jets.
What do you make of his comments?
Well, what we're looking at is both,
I think, is a commitment,
a long term commitment to Ukraine.
This is what's been preempting
some of the weapons systems.
Again, the focus has been on
what can Ukraine put to use right now?
What can they logistically support
and what can the allies provide
When you're talking
about a complicated system.
Certainly you can put a pilot
in very quickly
and teach them how to train the F-16.
It's all the accompanying equipment,
the supply, the support, the maintenance,
the supply chain
that is more and more difficult.
So what you're seeing is a preparation
for the future.
Even with the announcement
two weeks ago, I said,
you know, it's great
that there are some countries
that are willing to give up F-16s,
but it's going to take a long time
and you're not going to see
those aircraft
in this upcoming offensive.
Those will come later.
But it is a signal
excuse me, a signal
certainly to Russia that modernization
of the Ukrainian military is coming
and the West will continue to support.
General Mark Hertling, we
have to leave the conversation there.
Appreciate your analysis.