Ukraine war: Medic's shock over Russian tank hospital hit

David Anderson said he found the attack on the hospital "unbelievable and depressing"

A nurse who is working in Ukraine has told of his shock at seeing the burned-out wreckage of a Russian tank that was blown up as it bombarded a hospital.

Medic David Anderson, from Rutland, said the tank still had its gun pointing directly at the hospital in Trostianets.

Mr Anderson is a volunteer with front line aid charity UK-Med.

The charity has received £600,000 of government funding to provide support in Ukraine.

'Devastation everywhere'

Mr Anderson, 53, said: "I find it unbelievable and depressing that a hospital would be deliberately attacked.

"The tank is being guarded as evidence of a war crime and I could not believe what I was seeing.

"It had been blown up in the end and its gun turret is still pointing at the hospital it was attacking."

Mr Anderson was shown around the hospital's damaged wards

Mr Anderson, a humanitarian health advisor with the charity - who has been in Ukraine since 14 March - said he was shown around the wards of the hospital.

"There was just devastation everywhere where the tank shells had hit. It's rendered a 170-bed hospital completely inoperable," he said.

The charity has received funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to help train Ukrainian doctors, nurses and paramedics on how to deal with mass casualties.

It has also set up mobile health clinics that are supporting the most vulnerable civilians remaining in Ukraine, including the elderly and young children.

The UK is donating a further £300,000 worth of medicine and pharmaceutical supplies.

'Horrific injuries'

Mr Anderson has previously worked on humanitarian missions in countries including South Sudan and Myanmar.

He said: "I've been in a couple of war zones before - but not on this scale.

"We walked into one hospital, and they said there were 200 people, but it felt like more.

"There were people with traumatic amputations, flesh burns, blast injuries, just horrific injuries. It's the volume that is genuinely astounding."

The government said there had been more than 130 attacks on healthcare facilities since the Russian invasion began.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "The Kremlin continues to lie about deliberate attacks on Ukraine's hospitals and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.

"Now our vital humanitarian support will help save lives and deliver medical expertise to the front line."