KYIV: A Russian strike on Red Cross vehicles in eastern Ukraine killed three people, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday (Sep 12).
“Today, the occupier attacked the vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) humanitarian mission in Donetsk region,” Zelenskyy said.
The ICRC confirmed that three of its staffers had been killed when shelling hit a site of a planned frontline aid distribution in the region.
It did not say who was behind the shelling.
“I condemn attacks on Red Cross personnel in the strongest terms,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
“It’s unconscionable that shelling would hit an aid distribution site,” she added.
“Our hearts are broken today as we mourn the loss of our colleagues and care for the injured,” she said.
“This tragedy unleashes a wave of grief all too familiar to those who have lost loved ones in armed conflict.”
The attack happened in the village of Virolyubivka, a dozen kilometres away from the front line in Donetsk.
The ICRC said its team had been preparing to distribute wood and coal briquettes to vulnerable households to help them prepare for winter when their vehicles were hit.
Two other staff members were wounded in the attack, ICRC said, adding that the aid distribution “had not begun, and no residents were affected by the explosion”.
The ICRC did not provide any details about the staff members killed, but Ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for human rights Dmytro Lubinets said they were Ukrainian citizens.
Source: CNA
