Outcry in Kyiv. A 9-year-old girl, her mother and another woman were killed in the early hours of the morning in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, as the shelter they rushed to when the sirens sounded was closed.

Police are investigating the case, which has sparked strong reactions in Ukraine.

“Three people, including a child, were killed at night near the clinic,” in the Desnyansky district of Kiev, said the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Vitaliy Klitschko. “Missile debris fell near the entrance of the clinic, four minutes after the alarm sirens sounded and residents were heading for the shelter,” he added.

According to testimonies, several people tried in vain to enter the shelter, since – unknown why – it was hermetically sealed.

“When the sirens sounded, my wife took our daughter and they ran to the shelter,” Yaroslav Ryabchuk told Reuters. “The entrance was closed and outside were 5-10 women with children (…) They tried to enter the shelter, no one opened for them… My wife was killed,” Ryabchuk said.

25-year-old Oleksandra left a few flowers at the spot where the two women and the 9-year-old girl were killed. She recounted the terror she experienced with her five-year-old son, who was “frightened, sobbing and shouting that we are all going to die”.

At a press conference in Moldova, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who has previously fallen out with the municipal authorities in Kyiv – warned that those responsible would be severely punished. “As if the enemies from Russia didn’t reach us, it seems that we have them inside as well,” he said. While declining to name specific officials, Zelensky said the outcome of the impeachment inquiry could proved to be a “knockout” hit; an expression possibly “photographing” the mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, a former world champion in boxing.

Kiev’s military command said it shot down 10 Russian missiles fired at the Ukrainian capital, while expressing its sadness at the loss of life from falling debris.