UN Secretary-General concerned over attacks on organization's humanitarian convoy in Kherson region – statement

The UN Secretary-General is concerned that on May 14 in Kherson, a clearly marked United Nations vehicle taking part in a pre-notified interagency humanitarian mission was attacked twice.

This was stated by Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq.

"The Secretary-General is alarmed that a United Nations vehicle was struck twice in Kherson city in Ukraine on 14 May. The clearly-marked vehicle was part of an inter-agency humanitarian mission, led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, that had been notified to the parties well in advance," the statement reads.

The United Nations said it is working to establish all the facts related to the incident.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that international law, including international humanitarian law, must be respected at all times. Civilians and civilian objects, including humanitarian relief personnel and objects used for humanitarian relief operations, must be respected and protected at all times," the UN said.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on the UN and its member states to condemn the Russian attack on a humanitarian convoy in Kherson region. He said this while commenting on a strike by Russian FPV drones on a UN vehicle delivering aid to residents of Kherson.

According to Sybiha, Russian forces attacked the clearly marked UN vehicle twice in different locations, with a time interval between the strikes. The minister stressed that this terrorist attack was not accidental.