Despite hopes for a cessation of hostilities, Russia continues to shell civilians in Ukraine on a daily basis. The situation deteriorated especially in March.
This was stated by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya at a meeting of the Security Council, Ukrinform reports.
‘We hope for a complete cessation of hostilities and, ultimately, peace in Ukraine, but the situation for the civilian population continues to deteriorate... Since 1 March, not a day has passed without an attack on the civilian population,’ Ms Msuya said.
The UN is particularly outraged by the Russian strikes across Ukraine on 7 March. On that day, 21 civilians were killed and many more injured as a result of Russian aggression.
Last week, Russian terror claimed dozens of lives and injured hundreds of people in different regions of Ukraine, according to the UN Assistant Secretary-General. In particular, on 21 March, a drone attack in Zaporizhzhya killed a family of three, and on 24 March, almost 100 civilians, including more than 20 children, were injured in Sumy.
Msuya added that since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, 12,881 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, including 681 children, and nearly 30,500 have been injured, the Assistant Secretary-General said.
More than 2,300 attacks on medical facilities have been recorded. More than 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, of which more than 10 million are displaced, including 3.7 million internally displaced.
Ms Msuya also drew attention to the global reduction in funding for humanitarian operations, including for Ukraine. She emphasised that humanitarian needs should be ‘a central part of discussions about a ceasefire or a long-term agreement’.