On Monday 8 July 2024, russia deliberately fired missiles at Ohmatdyt, Ukraine’s main children’s hospital. The Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has today released eye-witness accounts from the site of the tragedy and from the people who came to help, simply because they could not do otherwise.

These are first-hand stories about people's unity, sincerity and generosity. And about facing your fear and taking action.  

Halyna is retired. After the missile attack on Kyiv, she took a wheelbarrow, bought food and water and rushed to Ohmatdyt. The 70-year-old woman spent the whole day helping to clear the rubble. The interview with her was recorded while she was carrying heavy bottles of water alongside young people.

The building materials store where Viktor works borders on Ohmatdyt. At the time of the explosion, the workers hid in the vestibule. Afterwards, they provided volunteers with overalls, sledgehammers and crowbars. Several hundred people cleared the rubble that day.  

Svitlana lives not far from the hospital. On the morning of 8 July, she was leaving the house when she heard a siren. Her intuition told her that she should stay at home. After the terrible explosions and the alarm went off, she immediately came to help: she was not going to be short of hands. 

Victoria and her son were waiting for a bandage at Ohmatdyt that day: the boy had recently undergone surgery. After the first explosion, the family managed to move to a safer place. This saved little Romchyk and his mum from the debris.  

Every year, more than 20,000 children from all over the country are treated at Ohmatdyt. Many businesses and organisations have joined in to rebuild the hospital's buildings and restore it. In particular, on the third day after the hostile attack, Rinat Akhmetov Foundation donated two modern resuscitation vehicles designed to save newborns.

The Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation collects and stores the world's largest collection of first-hand accounts of Russia's war in Ukraine. More than 110 thousand stories have been collected. Tell yours at https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/ or by calling the free hotline 0 (800) 509 001.