Zelenskyy accuses Russian troops of 'direct strike' that wrecked a Mariupol maternity hospital, pleads to 'close the sky right now'

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia's targeting of a maternity hospital in Mariupol.
• Zelenskyy repeated his appeal to Western leaders to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia's targeting of a maternity hospital in Mariupol and repeated his plea for a no-fly zone over his country.

Ukrainian forces have accused Russia of dropping several bombs on the hospital from the air, causing "colossal" damage.

"Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity!" Zelenskyy said in a tweet.

—Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 9, 2022

"How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity," the Ukrainian president added, condemning the West as well.

In an accompanying video surveying the damage, a voice behind the camera said, "There is almost nothing left."

A separate video posted by the Mariupol city council on Telegram showed the extent of the damage, along with a caption that read: "We will never forget! We will never forgive these scum!"

The Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, posted a photo of a crater left behind at the hospital from the bombing. Ukrainian authorities are trying to establish the number of people killed and wounded in the strike, according to AP News.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said the deaths of Ukrainians amid the invasion are on the hands of Western governments. He said last week that President Joe Biden told him personally that forces from the US or NATO would not impose a "no-fly zone" over Ukraine as Russia continues its assault on the country.

Zelenskyy has asked NATO to impose the "no-fly zone," which would allow the alliance to police the Ukrainian airspace and deny Russia the ability to use its superior air power on civilians. However, NATO has said that establishing a no-fly zone would escalate the Russian invasion, turning it into "a full-fledged war in Europe."

Russian forces attacked in the early morning hours of February 24, targeting key cities throughout the country with military strikes in an attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Putin initially said that his invasion of Ukraine would not target any civilians, but the offensive has since bombed multiple towns and cities, hitting hospitals, apartment buildings, and an orphanage.

The US and other Western countries have imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia and blocked the country from international banking systems. Putin has blasted the sanctions, saying they are "akin to a declaration of war."

Translations by Nikita Angarski.