By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday strong deplored the Russian strikes overnight into Sunday targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities which killed dozens including children and damaged civilian infrastructure.
Guterres said it marked a “further escalation” of the conflict, in a statement issued by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York.
The authorities reported over 80 civilian casualties, including a national NGO worker and her 2 month-old son in Kyiv.
The other affected cities included Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih and Kherson.
UN said that energy infrastructure was also hit, caused temporary power and water outages ahead of winter, with repair crews working to restore services.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said at the regular news briefing in New York that “Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable and must end immediately”.
“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions,” he added.
UN humanitarian support continues, he added.
UN agencies and partners delivered medical kits and hygiene supplies to roughly 1,000 people in several Donetsk villages, marking the tenth convoy to the region this year.
