BRUTAL ATTACKS ON UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS AND HEALTH CARE ARE UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE AND MUST CEASE IMMEDIATELY

I am utterly outraged and profoundly disturbed by the brutal attacks this afternoon in the centre of Kherson, in the South of Ukraine, killing and injuring civilians, including health care workers. An innocent two-month-old baby girl has been hospitalized with a blast injury.

My deepest sympathies are with the families who have endured the unbearable loss of their loved ones due to ruthless attacks in Kherson and across Ukraine.

The consequences of this attack extend beyond the loss of human life: multiple houses, a hospital and an ambulance were struck in the central part of the city.

Over the last day, civilians in the front-line city of Kherson continued to pay the highest price due to incessant brutal attacks. In some parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, including Kherson, services have been decimated, with not even half of hospitals or clinics remaining functional.

Since the escalation of the war in February 2022, the World Health Organization verified over 1,300 attacks on health care in Ukraine, accounting for more than 50 per cent of all attacks against health care in the world over this period.

These relentless attacks from the Russian Federation must come to an end. Each innocent life claimed by the invasion of Ukraine stands as a harrowing testament to the sheer brutality of this war.

Health facilities, health workers and civilians have special protection under international humanitarian law, and attacking them is a grave violation.

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13 November 2023

For further information, please contact:

Adedeji Ademigbuji, OCHA: +380 50 341 07 98, adedeji.ademigbuji@un.org

Viktoriia Andriievska, OCHA: +380 50 419 63 23, viktoriia.andriievska@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int