CNN's Clarissa Ward demolishes Russia for claiming maternity hospital they allegedly bombed was a military target

On Wednesday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward tore down the Russian government's claim that the maternity hospital they are accused of bombing in Mariupol, Ukraine was a military site — something Russian officials maintain even as they deny they were behind the bombing in the first place.

"You have been reporting on the devastating toll facing Ukrainians," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "Is there any doubt that Putin is targeting civilians?"

"I think it is difficult to differentiate between actively targeting civilians and having a complete disregard for the lives of civilians," said Ward. "Certainly when you look at some of the places that had been hit in the bombardment over the last week, particularly evacuation routes where civilians trying to flee to safety, apartment buildings, and residential buildings where people were living with their families."

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"What's interesting and very telling, and crucially important about this Mariupol maternity hospital, is that several hours before this attack took place, the Russian foreign minister spokesperson warned, in her words, Ukrainian forces were using the hospital complex as a launchpad for military activity, she claimed at that moment that all staff and patients had been evacuated from that hospital in order to facilitate that military activity," continued Ward. "When you look at these images, you can see clearly that there are staff members, that there are patients and children and there are heavily pregnant women, women who have just given birth who are bloody and injured and having their wounds assisted."

"It appears in this case that the Russians understood that this was a hospital, and it becomes very difficult to believe that they actually really genuinely thought there were no patients and no staff inside that complex being treated," added Ward. "Ultimately, as the mayor of Mariupol says, these are crimes that have to go to the International Criminal Court to decide ... we have seen this before in Syria, particularly where we know concretely that Russian forces were actively targeting hospitals."

Watch below:

Clarissa Ward reports on Russian attack on Ukrainian maternity hospitalwww.youtube.com