Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on latest school attack in Luhansk, Ukraine

8 May 2022 – “UNICEF strongly condemns yet another attack on a school in Ukraine amid reports that civilians, including children, had sought shelter in the school’s bunker.

“We do not yet know how many children might have been killed or injured in the reported bombing, but we fear this attack has just added to the hundreds of children who have already lost their lives in this war. Families who were caught up in this attack should have been celebrating Mother’s Day today in Ukraine, not mourning the loss of loved ones.

“Schools must never be attacked or used for military purposes. Targeting civilians and civilian objects, including schools, is a violation of international humanitarian law. This latest attack is just one of the many instances in this war where we have seen a blatant disregard for civilian lives.”