The Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih, which killed nine children, has become the deadliest attack on children since the start of the war.
This was stated by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, according to a statement published on the UN website.
“It’s an unimaginable horror — nine children killed, most while playing in a park, as a military weapon exploded into shrapnel above them,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “A single explosion ended 18 lives on a warm Friday evening in Kryvyi Rih, as families gathered near a playground, a restaurant and residential buildings.
He stressed that Russia’s use of explosive weapons in a densely populated area, with no visible military presence, "demonstrates a reckless disregard for civilian life."
Türk also rejected the baseless claim by Russian authorities that the target was allegedly a group of Ukrainian soldiers, pointing out that, according to the UN, a cosmetology forum had been taking place at the restaurant near the strike site shortly before the attack.
“Even if the Russian authorities had information that military personnel could be present, the mode and circumstances of attack may constitute an indiscriminate attack,” the statement reads.
