The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has condemned an attack on a humanitarian aid convoy in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast that resulted in the deaths of three ICRC workers and injuries to two others. The incident occurred as the convoy distributed aid to help locals prepare for winter.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has faced criticism since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Key points of contention include the ICRC’s reluctance to attribute responsibility to Russia for the mistreatment of prisoners of war in Olenivka.
ICRC President Peter Maurer’s 2022 visit to Moscow and subsequent reports of plans to open an ICRC office in Rostov, Russia, sparked controversy. While the ICRC reported the Rostov office was intended to “assist Ukrainians in Russia,” Ukrainian human rights advocates warned it could facilitate the deportation of Ukrainians to Russia.
During the Russian attack on the ICRC truck, the humanitarian workers were distributing wood and coal briquettes in the village of Virolyubivka, north of Donetsk, according to the ICRC. The attack destroyed their vehicles, preventing the aid from reaching those in need.
“It is unthinkable that a strike would occur at the very location where aid was being delivered,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said and expressed grief for the lost colleagues and concern for the injured.
The ICRC called for respect of international humanitarian law but did not specify who might have carried out the attack. Later, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian artillery fire had targeted the humanitarian truck.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned what he called a “Russian attack” on the ICRC convoy.
“Under no circumstances can humanitarian workers be targeted. Russia will be held accountable for all violations of international humanitarian law,” he said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk emphasized that such incidents “must not become the new normal,” stressing the fundamental nature of respecting and protecting humanitarian workers under international law.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack on the humanitarian convoy a “war crime” in a Telegram post. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, urged the ICRC to “publicly recognize Russia’s violation of the Geneva Conventions.”
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community, with officials from Norway, the UK, Sweden, and the World Health Organization expressing sympathy and support for Ukraine.
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