The Russian Embassy condemned the story saying it was staged and noted that Canadian media has not made an attempt to independently verify the veracity of Kiev's claims.
"Russia unequivocally rejects [the] Canadian government's groundless accusations of having allegedly attacked a maternity hospital in Mariupol. Video and photo footage attempting to present [the] damaged hospital building as a result of [a] 'Russian airstrike' is nothing but a blatant lie. It is yet another outrageous provocation by the Kiev regime. A climax of the fake news dissemination campaign", the Russian Embassy said in a statement on Thursday.
Russia is conducting strikes in Ukraine with "surgical precision" and Ukrainian troops and allied neo-Nazi battalions continue to use the civilian population as shields.
Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Illia Kyva, who fled the country, also said he was confident that the story regarding the attack on the Mariupol maternity hospital was a false-flag.
"Ukraine is filled with lies and deception. The history of the tragedy in the hospital of Mariupol - another staging and fake", Kyva said on Telegram.
Mariupol is the site of an intense battle where surrounded Ukrainian troops and neo-Nazi and other extremist battalions have dug in against advancing Russian and allied troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. The latter have said they intend to end the eight years of bloodshed in the area initiated by Ukrainian troops and assorted extremists.
On 24 February, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics against intensified attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the operation was solely targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure and has emphasised the civilian population is not in danger.
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