Red Cross reacts to shelling of humanitarian aid truck in Donetsk region
Photo: Russians fire on a Red Cross truck (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
The International Committee of the Red Cross has condemned the shelling of a humanitarian mission truck in the Donetsk region by the Russian army on September 12. The attack killed three ICRC staff members and wounded two others, according to the ICRC press service.
“I condemn attacks on Red Cross personnel in the strongest terms. It’s unconscionable that shelling would hit an aid distribution site. Our hearts are broken today as we mourn the loss of our colleagues and care for the injured. This tragedy unleashes a wave of grief all too familiar to those who have lost loved ones in armed conflict,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric.
The organization noted that the ICRC team was preparing to distribute wood and coal briquettes in the village of Viroliubivka, Donetsk region, to vulnerable households to help them prepare for the coming winter when its trucks were attacked.
"ICRC teams are regularly present in the Donetsk region, and our vehicles are clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem. The deaths of three ICRC colleagues come amid a sharp rise in the number of humanitarians killed around the world over the last two years," the ICRC noted.
The Red Cross called for respect for international humanitarian law, including by taking all possible precautions, "to ensure that those engaged in humanitarian activities are not targeted or caught in hostilities."
Shelling of a Red Cross truck
Today, on September 12, the Russian military shelled the trucks of the humanitarian mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Three Ukrainians, who were ICRC staff members, were killed.
Law enforcement officials noted that the ICRC staff had arrived in the village to distribute fuel briquettes to local residents to heat their homes. At the time of the shelling, they were unloading the delivered aid.
