In a recent development, an expert from the United Nations has criticized a fresh series of Russian air attacks against Ukraine. The hostilities lead by Russia have targeted a multitude of densely populated towns and cities across Ukraine, resulting in significant destruction and loss of life.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, released a press statement expressing her grave concern over the situation in Ukraine: “For the people of Ukraine, the new year started with loss, pain, and anguish. For the third day in a row, vast aerial assaults by the Russian Federation have resulted in death, including the lives of several children, and led to widespread devastation of homes and other civilian infrastructure.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted that within a mere five days, Ukraine had been struck by at least 500 missiles and drones. These attacks have led to power and water outages in several parts of the capital, Kyiv, at a time when the city is grappling with freezing temperatures as low as -20 degrees celsius. Numerous Ukrainian cities, such as Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, amongst others, have also been targeted in this onslaught, as confirmed by statements from Zelenskyy. Moreover, Emine Dzheppar, Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, shared distressing footage of buildings damaged in these attacks.
In a subsequent post, the President urged allied nations for further financial and military aid, warning that the failure to protect Ukraine’s citizens inevitably would result in the spread of “Russian terror” across Europe and possibly further afield.
The UN reaction comes following the Security Council emergency meeting that was held at Russia’s insistence after a suspected Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod. Russia’s assertion of Ukraine having utilized banned cluster munitions in the strike were accompanied by an alleged death toll of 18, encompassing three children. Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General in the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, addressed the issue by unequivocally condemning attacks on all cities, towns, and villages, in both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Beyond this meeting, continued air bombardments on Ukrainian towns and cities have been reported, propelling the UN to release another statement on Tuesday. Denise Brown reinforced in her statement that any “indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly forbidden under international humanitarian law.”
This extensive account is based on the detailed coverage provided by JURIST – News.