Drones and Artillery Strike UN Aid Trucks in Southern Ukraine
On October 14, Russian troops shelled a UN humanitarian mission in the Bilozerska community of the Kherson region, causing significant material damage.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to a statement made by the Head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, on Telegram.
“Russia has once again shown its true and disgusting face by attacking a humanitarian mission in the Kherson region,” Prokudin wrote.
According to him, the shelling was carried out from drones and artillery at trucks belonging to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Four white vehicles carrying humanitarian aid for the civilian population were attacked: one burned down, another was seriously damaged, and two managed to escape. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. The UN mission delivering humanitarian aid lost several tons of cargo.
“Today, the world's ‘second army’ defeated several tons of ‘humanitarian aid’. Terrorists – there is nothing more to say,” wrote the Head of the Kherson Regional State Administration.
Humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale condemned these actions, stressing that attacks on humanitarian assets are a gross violation of international humanitarian law and can be considered a war crime.
The local civilian population is heavily dependent on humanitarian aid, and such attacks hinder its safe delivery.
“Deliberately targeting humanitarians and humanitarian assets is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and might amount to a war crime,” the statement goes.
The Kherson region has also seen an increase in drone attacks causing harm to civilians, and international organizations are calling for all measures to be taken to protect humanitarian workers and the civilian population.
As The Gaze reported earlier, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the war has claimed the lives of 232 artists and 114 Ukrainian and foreign media workers.