Russia-Ukraine war: UN reacts as deadly missile attack kills 22 in Vinnytsia

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has condemned the deadly missile attack on Thursday against the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, reportedly killing at least 22 people, including three children.

According to reports, more than a hundred people were wounded in the attack.

Cruise missiles fired from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea struck civilian areas of Vinnytsia, including an office block and residential buildings, according to media reports, citing Ukrainian authorities.

The Secretary-General, in a statement by his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, condemned any attacks against civilians or civilian infrastructure and reiterated his call for accountability for such violations.

He said he was “appalled by today’s missile attack against the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.

“The Secretary-General condemns any attacks against civilians or civilian infrastructure and reiterates his call for accountability for such violations,” the statement read in part.

Meanwhile, the UN humanitarians report that in the past 24 hours, strikes have resulted in casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and in several parts of the Donetska region, located in the east.

Hostilities have destroyed more critical infrastructure, leaving millions overall without access to health services, water, electricity and gas supplies, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York on Thursday.

Haq said, “In Mariupol, people have limited access to drinking water, with only five litres per person every week, according to Ukrainian authorities.”