Damaged kindergarten in Kharkov, Ukraine. Photo from the archive The UN strongly condemned the deadly wave of attacks on Ukraine: dozens of civilians were killed Peace and security
“On the night of November 19, due to further strikes by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, at least 20 civilians were killed and more than a hundred were injured, including children.” This is stated in a message from the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Humanitarian assistance coordinator Matthias Schmale strongly condemned the attacks. Across the country, OCHA said there was extensive damage to homes and critical civilian infrastructure, including medical and educational facilities.
From Kharkiv in the east to Ternopil and the Ivano-Frankivsk region in western Ukraine, families were bereaved, injured and homeless. At least a dozen children were reportedly among the victims. “Their suffering cannot be justified in any way,” noted the Ukrainian office of OCHA.
The strikes also damaged energy infrastructure, leading to blackouts and exacerbating the consequences of previous attacks. With temperatures already below freezing in some regions of Ukraine, such disruptions pose a serious threat to millions of people.
“Such ongoing damage to civilians and ongoing destruction of critical civilian infrastructure is absolutely unacceptable,” the message emphasizes. “The targeting of civilians and facilities essential to their survival is prohibited by international humanitarian law.”
The UN calls for everything possible to be done to protect the population of Ukraine and reminds that civilians “should never be targeted.”