At least 33 people were killed in a Russian strike on a humanitarian aid distribution point in Komyshuvakha, in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The attack took place the previous day, the mission said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 50 people could still be trapped beneath the rubble. The mission said the distribution had been announced by local authorities on a social media account with nearly 5,000 followers, including its location and timing.
Danielle Bell, head of the UN mission, said Russian forces either knew a humanitarian distribution was taking place or had failed to take basic steps to establish what was happening in the village before attacking. In either case, she said, the strike appeared to violate fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
The mission said images released by Ukrainian authorities showed what it described as the use of powerful aerial bombs. Bell noted that such weapons can cause extensive blast effects, send fragments flying and damage buildings.
Sources: Le Monde International.