'Show this to Putin': Six-year-old girl killed in shelling of Ukrainian city 

Ukraine’s president says 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and another 45 have been injured in the Russian invasion
'Show this to Putin': Six-year-old girl killed in shelling of Ukrainian city 

A woman reacts as paramedics perform CPR on a girl who was injured during shelling, at city hospital of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

*Warning: This article contains graphic images which some readers may find disturbing

A six-year-old girl has died as a result of Russian shelling in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

The girl was rushed into a city hospital by ambulance after she received mortal injuries during the attack.

A medical team fought desperately to revive her as her mother stood outside the ambulance, weeping.

A doctor in blue medical scrubs, pumping oxygen into the girl, looked straight at the camera of an Associated Press video journalist who had been allowed inside.

“The eyes of this child, and crying doctors,” he said. "Show this to Putin."

Ukraine’s president says 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and another 45 have been injured in the Russian invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message that “every crime, every shelling by the occupiers bring our partners and us even closer”.

Medics perform CPR on a girl at the city hospital of Mariupol, who was injured during shelling in a residential area in eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. The girl did not survive. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Medics perform CPR on a girl at the city hospital of Mariupol, who was injured during shelling in a residential area in eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. The girl did not survive. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

He hailed the sanctions that the West slapped on Russia, saying they have brought the Russian currency down.

Meanwhile, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says missiles have hit a radioactive waste disposal site in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

In a statement, International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi said Ukrainian authorities informed his office about the overnight strike.

He said there are no reports of damage to the buildings or indications of a release of radioactive material but that his agency expects to soon receive the results of on-site radioactive monitoring.

The report came a day after an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was damaged.

Such facilities typically hold low-level radioactive materials such as waste from hospitals and industry, but Mr Grossi said the two incidents highlight a “very real risk”.

He said if the sites are damaged there could be “potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment”

Fighting intensifies across Ukraine

An armored vehicle rolls outside Mykolaivka, Donetsk region, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo
An armored vehicle rolls outside Mykolaivka, Donetsk region, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo

It comes as Russian troops drew closer to the Ukrainian capital whose mayor warned the city was encircled, and President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces to be put on high alert.

During a phonecall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told British prime minister Boris Johnson that the next 24 hours would be crucial for Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

This morning, Ukrainian delegates arrived at the border with Belarus for ceasefire talks with Russian representatives, the Ukrainian presidency confirmed. However, it is not clear how much progress the talks will yield.

Elsewhere, after a gruelling night of Russian attacks on the outskirts of the city, mayor Vitali Klitschko was silent for several seconds when asked if there were plans to evacuate civilians if Russian troops managed to take Kyiv.

“We can’t do that, because all ways are blocked,” he finally said.

“Right now we are encircled.”

Street fighting also broke out in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and strategic ports in the country’s south came under pressure from the invading forces.

A senior US intelligence official has also said Belarus is expected to send troops into Ukraine as soon as Monday to fight alongside Russian forces that invaded last week.

Belarus has been providing support for Russia’s war effort, but so far has not taken a direct part in the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Sergei Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Sergei Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Earlier, Mr Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces to be put on high alert in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by leading Nato powers.

The order to put Russia’s nuclear weapons in an increased state of readiness for launch raised fears that the crisis could boil over into nuclear warfare, whether by design or miscalculation.

Amid the mounting tensions, Ukraine announced that a delegation would meet with Russian officials for talks.

But the Kremlin’s ultimate intentions towards Ukraine – and what steps might be enough to satisfy Moscow – remained unclear.

Hours after Mr Putin’s announcement, the top official in the European Union said the 27-nation bloc will close its airspace to Russian airlines and fund the purchase of weapons for Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets.

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