UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attacks, which destroyed homes and damaged critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and educational facilities.
In a statement delivered by his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General said: “Today’s appalling attack, one of the deadliest against civilians since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, once again underlines the urgency of a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire in this country, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace.”
The UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, also expressed deep concern, noting that the strikes stretched from Kharkiv in the east to Ternopil and the Ivano-Frankivsk Region in the west.
“Families have lost loved ones, suffered injuries and seen their homes destroyed,” Schmale said. He added that at least a dozen children were among the wounded, describing their suffering as “unconscionable”.
UN human rights investigators have begun visiting affected areas to document the destruction.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, who is currently in Ukraine, said she was “appalled” by the scale of the assault. “Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable and must end immediately,” she posted on X.
The barrage of drones and missiles also damaged energy infrastructure, triggering emergency power outages and compounding the impact of previous strikes. Schmale warned that as temperatures fall below zero in parts of the country, the disruptions place millions of people “at grave risk”.
“This relentless harm to civilians and destruction of essential civilian infrastructure is unacceptable,” he said, stressing that international humanitarian law clearly prohibits attacks on civilians and objects vital for their survival.
He added that all possible measures must be taken to protect civilians, who “should never be a target.”
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
