KYIV (Reuters) -The top United Nations official in Ukraine said on Thursday she was shocked by military strikes that killed children and other civilians in Chaplyne in central Ukraine on Wednesday, and called on all parties to adhere to international law.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Thursday its forces had hit a military train at Chaplyne railway station. Kyiv says 25 civilians died in the Russian strike.
“I am truly shocked by the strikes that yesterday killed and injured civilians close to the rail station in Chaplyne, in central Ukraine,” Denise Brown, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement.
“Children were killed in this attack and they died in places where they expected to be safe, in their homes or traveling with their families.”
Brown said the human toll of the attack was “just one more example of the level of suffering that this war is causing the people of Ukraine.”
She cited other attacks that also killed civilians, as well as intense shelling of frontline cities, including Nikopol and Zelenodolsk, that had damaged houses, schools, shops and pharmacies, and underscored the need to protect civilians.
“All actors, without exception, must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and take constant care to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure so that they are protected, their houses preserved, and essential services remain,” she said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Catherine Evans and Richard Chang)
