A Russian drone struck the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics in central Kyiv early on Thursday morning, injuring three people. The attack came at around 3am local time and hit the second floor of the hospital as well as an adjoining 19th-century building.
The hospital sits close to several western embassies, which places the strike in one of the most sensitive districts of the Ukrainian capital. The three injured people were the only casualties reported in the notes available at the time of writing, and details of their condition have not been confirmed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed the attack partly on speed restrictions linked to SpaceX's Starshield system. He said the limits had reduced Ukraine's ability to shoot down incoming drones, and this was the second reported failure of the Starshield service affecting Ukrainian air defence.
The exact cause of the restrictions and their scope remain unclear. It has not been established whether SpaceX imposed the limits, or why they were put in place, and the reporting available does not explain the technical reasons behind them.
The strike on a medical institute in the heart of Kyiv underlines the continuing danger of Russian drone attacks on civilian sites in Ukraine, and the dependence of Ukrainian air defences on satellite-linked systems. Further detail on the damage, the investigation and any response from SpaceX is still awaited.
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