5 April 2025
Matthias Schmale said he was outraged
by reports of yet another Russian attack on the city, which
is located in the Dnipro region.
“This attack
follows a deeply disturbing pattern of repeated attacks on
populated areas across Ukraine that continue to kill and
maim civilians,” he said, noting that the country’s
second-largest city, Kharkiv, was “still reeling” from a
massive attack the night before.
“The cost to
families is unbearable. Civilians are protected under
international humanitarian law. They are not a target,” he
said.
Young lives lost
In response to the
incident, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for an
immediate end to attacks on civilian areas in
Ukraine.
“We are devastated by the horrific attack
in Kryvyi Rih that reportedly killed at least nine children
and injured many more, including one as young as three
months old,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and
Central Asia, Regina De Dominicis.
The missile
reportedly struck a residential neighbourhood in the
Saksahanskyi district in the early evening, when many
families gathering ahead of the weekend, she said, adding
that it landed near a playground, tearing through homes,
schools and a restaurant.
“Among the scenes of
devastation, parents were seen weeping, cradling the body of
their dead son. No child should ever suffer such terror. No
parent should ever endure such pain,” she
said.
Stolen futures
UNICEF and partners are
on the ground supporting affected families and coordinating
with local authorities to deliver emergency
assistance.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
Ms. De Dominicis noted that more than
2,500 children have been killed or injured, and millions of
young lives have been upended, since the start of the
full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February
2022.
“Every child killed is a future stolen,” she
remarked. “The brutal use of explosive weapons in
populated areas and attacks on civilian facilities and
infrastructure, which disproportionally harm children, must
end.”
