Violation of international law

In a statement issued later in the day, the spokeswoman reiterated that “attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law.” They must end immediately.”

The Ukraine office of the UN aid coordination wing OCHA, described the strike on the nine-storey building in the central Ukrainian city as one of the deadliest attacks since Russia began its full-scale invasion on 24 February last year.

With many still unaccounted for, rescuers were still digging through the rubble looking for survivors on Monday. At the same time, dozens more civilians were killed or injured across the country over the weekend, said OCHA.

Denise Brown, who is in charge of humanitarian issues in Ukraine, criticized Russia’s attack for killing so many civilians. She called for a thorough investigation of suspected war crimes and the proper prosecution of suspects.

1,000 now homeless

“More than 1,000 people have been made homeless as a result of the attack, according to our humanitarian colleagues on the ground”, said Ms. Tremblay.

She added that UN agencies and NGOs have acted quickly to support the families, with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and others providing psychosocial support to survivors, as well as winter clothes, blankets, hygiene kits, and other critical household items.

“We are also helping families relocate to temporary accommodations in the city”, she said.

The World Health Organization, or WHO, also supplies medicines and other supplies.

Red Cross premises hit

In the southern city of Kherson, the premises hosting the Ukrainian Red Cross Society were hit during shelling in the city on Sunday, said Ms. Tremblay. “Although no one was injured, the organization lost critical supplies.”

The UN deputy relief chief Joyce Msuya, said in a tweet on Monday that she was “shocked and terrified” by the attacks on civilians in Dnipro, and the shelling of the Red Cross facility in Kherson.

Ms. Brown said in a message tweeted by her office that a “place where people impacted by the war can find relief, should never be a target. My thoughts are with the Red Cross colleagues.”

Ms. Tremblay said that UN humanitarians wanted all combatants everywhere to understand that “humanitarian workers and facilities are protected and constant efforts must be made to spare them.

“A hospital protected under international humanitarian law was hit in the city.”

In Kryviy Rih, in the Dnipro region, more than 50 homes, three schools, and two preschools were damaged on Sunday, according to local officials.

‘Critical’ situation in the east

“Further east, the situation remains critical, with scores of civilians killed and injured on both sides of the front line in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions”, said Ms. Tremblay.

In the parts of Donetsk currently under Russian control, dozens of homes were damaged, and at least two health centres and several ambulances were also hit during shelling reported over the weekend, according to Russian-installed authorities there.

In a tweet on Monday, the UNICEF office in Ukraine said that 5,000 winter clothing kits have been distributed in the Donetsk region, to “newly accessible cities”.