The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine on Wednesday called for an end to attacks against civilians following further overnight strikes by Russian forces that reportedly killed at least 19 in the Chernihiv Region.
Among the dead in Pryluky were five children, three of them babies, according to the latest information from local authorities. One of the children died along with his mother and grandmother.
At least 50 others were reportedly injured when residential buildings were struck. The casualty toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
The overnight wave of attacks also reportedly killed around 25 others and injured dozens of civilians in Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, Kyiv and Oleksandriia in the Kirovohrad region.
According to the latest data, 15,280 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine during the first eight months of this year.
Children in constant danger
"Families must never live through the horror of seeing their children placed in constant danger or buried under the rubble of their own homes. This pattern of increasing harm to civilians must end," the UN's top official in the country Matthias Schmale said in a statement .
On 5 and 6 October, airstrikes hit a hospital in Kryvyi Rih and ambulances in Kramatorsk, injuring health workers.
Ukrainian Red Cross workers were also injured while travelling to assist people affected by an attack in Zaporizhzhia.
Violation of international law
"Civilians, including children, homes and essential civilian infrastructure are protected under international humanitarian law," Mr. Schmale reiterated.
Briefing journalists in New York Wednesday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General strongly condemned the ongoing attacks. He also expressed deep concern over the rising number of civilian casualties.
"All attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately," Mr. Dujarric said.
Humanitarian response
Humanitarian teams in Ukraine reported that attacks and frontline hostilities over the previous 24 hours had caused more than 150 civilian casualties.
During the first eight months of this year, the UN and its humanitarian partners assisted 1.5 million people affected by strikes across Ukraine, as attacks continue to intensify and spread to areas farther from the front lines.
