Matthias Schmale expressed his shock at the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, highlighting that people in regions like Dnipro, Odesa, and Vinnitsya are experiencing power outages. He stated that the Russian Armed Forces’ systematic attacks on critical infrastructure disrupt millions of lives and pose life-threatening conditions for the vulnerable, such as the elderly and children, as noted in his statement on social media. Schmale emphasized that international humanitarian law prohibits targeting civilian infrastructure.
To combat the “incessant attacks” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, UNICEF is increasing efforts to maintain essential services amid freezing conditions. Since November, they have provided 106 mid- and large-capacity generators across the country to support water utilities and district heating companies. An additional 149 generators will be deployed soon to enhance operations and backup power solutions. Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF’s Representative to Ukraine, stated that these generators will aid technicians in keeping systems operational, ensuring heating, hospitals, and water services remain functional.
Meanwhile, UN human rights monitors confirmed that a Russian drone attack on Sunday in the Dnipropetrovsk region near the eastern Ukraine frontline resulted in the deaths and injuries of coal mine workers heading home after their shifts. The incident in Ternivka led to 12 civilian deaths and 16 injuries, according to local authorities. Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, highlighted the threat civilians face when hostilities reach everyday areas, even far from active combat zones.
The mine workers were on a regular bus route through Ternivka, about 65 kilometers from the frontline, when multiple Russian drones hit the road near the vehicle over several minutes, blowing out the bus windows and causing casualties among passengers and others nearby. Among those affected were civilians in nearby vehicles and people who came to assist. UN rights monitors who visited the site documented two craters near the destroyed bus and drone remnants. An injured coal miner recounted climbing out of a bus window after the first explosion, hearing screams, followed by a second blast. He lamented, “this is all wrong,” emphasizing that “we are ordinary coal mine workers. People were simply returning to their homes, to their families.”
Leave a Reply