Three Ukrainians working for the Red Cross have been killed by Russian shelling while they were unloading aid, officials have announced.
Two others were wounded in the attack on a village in the frontline Donetsk region.
"Another Russian war crime. Today, the occupier attacked vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian mission in the Donetsk region," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Another Russian war crime. Today, the occupier attacked vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian mission in the Donetsk region.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 12, 2024
As of now, we know of two injured people who are receiving all necessary assistance. Unfortunately, three people were… pic.twitter.com/Ta2Vbj9TSj
The village of Viroliubivka came under shelling, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said on the Telegram messenger app, reporting casualties.
"I condemn attacks on Red Cross personnel in the strongest terms. It's unconscionable that shelling would hit an aid distribution site," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
The statement added that ICRC teams are regularly present in the Donetsk region, and their vehicles are marked with the Red Cross emblem.
The Prosecutor General's Office said on Telegram that ICRC employees had brought fuel briquettes to residents for heating before winter.
They were unloading the aid when the attack happened, it said.
Two employees were taken to hospital, with one in serious condition, prosecutors added.
The Donetsk region, which Russian troops partially occupy, regularly comes under Russian shelling and airstrikes.
Moscow denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure in its invasion of Ukraine, although thousands of people have been killed in its attacks.
