UN condemns Russian attack on humanitarian aid distribution center

A UN today condemned an attack by the Russian Army on Monday on a school used as a humanitarian center in the Ukrainian eastern province of Zaporijia, which made at least 31 deaths, according to the latest official report.

In a statement, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, pointed out that most of the victims were “local inhabitants who went to school for help, as well as local government officials.”.

He also indicated that subsequent bombings from the same location killed two rescuers and four police officers.

“About 50 people are still missing and may be trapped under the rubble as rescue operations continue,” Schmale said.

The UN officer also expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, “whose lives were destroyed by these attacks,” who hit “both the school used to distribute aid and a shelter for civilians” in Zaporijia province, partially occupied by Russia, in the framework of the Ukrainian invasion begun in February 2022.

“ People living near the front line already face immensely difficult conditions, [and] the possibility of being killed when seeking essential assistance or shelter is something horrible,” he lamented, repeating that “civilians seeking support and emergency teams working in the rescue should never be targeted.”.

“ Civil installations, including those intended for humanitarian aid, must be respected and protected in accordance with international law,” Schmale maintained, after the governor of Zaporijia, Mykhailo Semikin, denounced that Russia “has insidiously attacked” the site using “FAB-500 guided bombs” and “FAB-3000 bombs”, suitable for “destructing high-strength concrete fortifications and bunkers”.

Semikin pointed out that one of these bombs caused the collapse of an “underground center” where people who had gone “for help” were found.

“ These people did not go to a military facility, nor to a combat position, but to a place where they expected support,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky classified the attack as “absolutely horrendous” on Monday and declared that “the Russians demonstrate again and again that they hate Ukraine and everything there”.

“If Russia really wanted to reduce tension after Oleshki, it was time to take humanitarian action. We proposed this, but Russia continues to kill,” he said, referring to the local ceasefire observed in the last few days in that location.