Comment by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on attacks in Ukraine

“I am shocked by yet another full-scale set of coordinated missile and drone attacks by the Russian Federation across Ukraine during the night of 28 to 29 December.

The massive assault struck densely populated areas in many cities and towns, including Kyiv, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Sumy, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia. The attack also affected a wide range of civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, a maternity hospital, schools, kindergartens, parks, a metro station, and a shopping mall, as well as energy infrastructure. Electricity was cut in several regions, following damage to transmission lines.

At least 23 civilians were killed and 134 were injured. Rescue groups are still searching for people trapped under the rubble of residential buildings.

International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits attacks deliberately targeting civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate attacks, under any circumstances. I call again on the Russian Federation to cease its attacks on Ukraine immediately, and to strictly respect all the rules of international law relating to the conduct of hostilities.”