Deputy spokeswoman Stephanie Tremblay said Monday at the regular briefing for correspondents in New York that António Guterres condemned Saturday night’s rocket attack, adding that it was “another example of an alleged violation of martial law.”
violation of international law
In a statement released later in the day, the spokesman reiterated that “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They must end immediately.”
The Ukrainian Office of the UN Coordinating Wing OCHA, described the strike on the nine-story building in the central Ukrainian city as one of the deadliest attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24 last year.
With many still missing, rescuers were still searching for survivors in the rubble Monday, while dozens more civilians were killed or injured across the country over the weekend, OCHA said.
Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown condemned the immense civilian damage caused by Russia’s attack and called for an effective investigation into alleged war crimes and proper prosecution of suspects.
1,000 now homeless
“According to our humanitarian colleagues on the ground, more than 1,000 people were left homeless as a result of the attack,” Ms Tremblay said.
UN agencies and NGOs have acted quickly to support the families, she added, with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and others providing psychosocial support to survivors, as well as winter clothing, blankets, hygiene kits and other essential household items.
“We also help families move to temporary housing in the city,” she said.
the world health organization, WHOalso delivers medicines and other relief supplies.
Red Cross building hit
In the southern city of Kherson, the premises of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society were hit during shelling in the city on Sunday, Ms Tremblay said. “Although no one was injured, the organization lost critical supplies.”
Deputy UN Secretary General Joyce Msuya said in a tweet Monday that she was “shocked and frightened” by the attacks on civilians in Dnipro and the shelling of the Red Cross facility in Kherson.
Ms Brown said in a message tweeted from her office that “a place where people affected by war can find help should never be a destination. My thoughts are with the Red Cross colleagues.”
Ms Tremblay said the UN humanitarian wanted to make it clear to combatants everywhere that “humanitarian workers and facilities are protected and constant efforts must be made to spare them.”
“A hospital was hit in the city, which is also protected by international humanitarian law.”
Meanwhile, local authorities in Kryviy Rih in the Dnipro region reported that more than 50 houses, three schools and two kindergartens were damaged on Sunday.
“Critical” situation in the East
“Further east, the situation remains critical, with scores of civilians killed and injured on both sides of the frontline in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” Ms Tremblay said.
Dozens of homes were damaged in the parts of Donetsk currently under Russian control, and at least two health centers and several ambulances were also hit during the shelling, which was reported over the weekend, according to Russian-installed authorities.
In a tweet on Monday, the UNICEF The Ukraine office said 5,000 winter clothing packages were distributed to “newly accessible cities” in the Donetsk region.
