THIS HOTEL IS THE MAIN BASE FOR UN STAFF AND OTHER HUMANITARIANS SERVING THE PEOPLE OF ZAPORIZHZHIA

I am appalled by the news that a hotel frequently used by United Nations personnel and our colleagues from NGOs supporting people affected by the war has been hit by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia shortly ago.

It is utterly inadmissible.

I have stayed in this hotel every single time I visited Zaporizhzhia. My team uses it as their base for their frequent travels to the city. It was the UN base for the operation to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, in May last year.

The number of indiscriminate attacks hitting civilian infrastructure, killing and injuring civilians, have reached unimaginable levels – these attacks violate international humanitarian law.

In the name of humanity, I call on the Russian Federation to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and immediately stop indiscriminate attacks on Ukraine.

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