• UN condemns attack in which no casualties were reported as 'utterly unacceptable,' notes 2 trucks in inter-agency convoy damaged and 'set on fire'
• Ukraine's top diplomat urges UN member states to condemn strike, impose additional pressure on Moscow, which has not immediately responded to claim

ISTANBUL

The UN on Tuesday accused Russia of attacking a humanitarian convoy belonging to it in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

The UN in Ukraine said in a press release that an inter-agency convoy made up of four trucks came under attack by Russia while delivering aid to the settlement of Bilozerka, describing the strike as “utterly unacceptable.”

“Humanitarian workers, including from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ukraine, were on a mission to provide humanitarian aid to a heavily war-impacted community that had not received assistance for months,” the statement said.

It noted that none were injured or killed during the attack, but said two trucks in the convoy were damaged and "set on fire."

“Deliberately targeting humanitarians and humanitarian assets is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and might amount to a war crime. … All measures should be taken to protect civilians and humanitarian workers. International humanitarian law must be respected,” the press release added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also condemned the attack in a statement through the US social media company X, urging UN member states to condemn the strike and impose additional pressure on Moscow.

Sybiha’s call was reaffirmed by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in a separate statement on X, which said one of the four trucks in the convoy was “completely burned,” while another was seriously damaged. It noted that the other two trucks "managed to get away."

Russian authorities have not immediately commented on the UN’s accusation.

The accusation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday morning that 57 people were injured in his country’s northeastern city of Kharkiv during an overnight Russian airstrike, defining it as an “utterly terrorist, cynical attack.”

Zelenskyy urged partners for additional air defense systems, and the international community to compel Russia to “come to the table for genuine negotiations,” arguing: “Only peace through strength can bring results."

Ukraine's Air Force claimed in a morning statement on Telegram that air defenses shot down 69 of 96 drones launched by Russia overnight. Moscow has not reacted to the claim.

Moscow and Kyiv have frequently traded accusations in recent weeks about targeting each other’s energy facilities as the winter months approach.