UN condemns wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine condemned a third large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv in three weeks, reporting civilian deaths and injuries including children. The statement, issued June 2 by Matthias Schmale via OCHA Ukraine, noted homes, hospitals, and shops were destroyed or damaged. Casualty figures from the June 2 attack include six killed and 79 injured in Kyiv, and 12 killed in Dnipro.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale on June 2 condemned a large-scale attack by the Russian Federation Armed Forces on Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, calling it the third such assault over the past three weeks. In a statement published on the website of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine, Schmale reported that several civilians were killed and scores more injured, including several children, with homes, hospitals, and shops destroyed or damaged.
"The early days of summer in Ukraine are marked by yet another large-scale massive attack by the Russian Federation Armed Forces on Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv—for the third time over the past three weeks. Several civilians are reported dead, and scores more, including several children, are injured. Homes, hospitals and shops have been destroyed or damaged," Schmale stated.
Schmale said that instead of celebrating the start of summer school holidays, children and their families spent the night in shelters, waking to air raid sirens, explosions, and uncertainty. He noted that the war continues to have devastating consequences for civilians and their mental health, as people are unable to find relief and fear and anxiety are only increasing due to expectations of further strikes across the country.
"Adhering to international humanitarian law means taking all measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and homes. The Russian Federation's inflammatory rhetoric and escalation of attacks should stop, paving the way for a just peace," the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine stressed.
In Kyiv, six people were killed and 79 injured from the June 2 attack. In Dnipro, the death toll from the overnight attack increased to 12.