Ukraine: The UN is alarmed by reports of a deadly attack on a dormitory in occupied Luhansk

The UN does not have access to the region – which is under temporary Russian occupation – and could not verify details of the reported attack.

UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said the dorm reportedly housed at least 86 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18.

“The attack reportedly left six people dead and dozens injured, including children,” he said in a state of emergency Security Council meeting in New York.

Chaiban added that rescue operations were still ongoing and “it is too early to know the total number of fatalities.”

Children pay the price of war

He emphasized that children are being disproportionately affected: “This is another example of children bearing the brunt of a war that was not their own.”

According to verified UN data, more than 3,400 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

End attacks on civilians

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres‘ Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said the Organization “strongly criticized[s] any attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur.”

“As the Secretary-General has repeatedly underlined, such attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law and must end immediately,” Dujarric said.

The pattern is contrary to international law

Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations at the UN aid coordination office Ochaunderscores the need to protect civilians.

“The situation is still ongoing and there is still a lot we don’t know,” he told ambassadors at the Security Council. “But what we know is that the loss of life resulting from this war shows a pattern that is contrary to international humanitarian law. Civilians must be protected.”

Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflictsaid some people may still be trapped under the rubble and added that he had been following reports from Luhansk “with great concern”.

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UNHCR warehouse attacked in Ukraine

Earlier on Friday, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said escalating attacks across Ukraine are killing and injuring more and more civilians while disrupting humanitarian work.

Bernadette Castel-Hollingworth, UNHCR’s representative in the country, said a warehouse rented by the agency in the eastern town of Dnipro had been vandalized. was hit by a missile earlier this week during a Russian attackdestroying emergency shelter materials and relief supplies intended for displaced civilians.

“This is the first attack on UNHCR facilities since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion,” the agency said in a statement.

UNHCR also warned of a worrying trend of attacks against humanitarian personnel and operations. Last week, two clearly marked UN humanitarian convoys were reportedly attacked by drones while delivering aid near frontline areas.