ICRC Mourns Three Staff Killed After Shelling Hits Aid Distribution Site in Donetsk

Three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were killed on Thursday when shelling struck the site of a planned frontline aid distribution in the Donetsk region. Two more ICRC employees were wounded.

According to an ICRC statement, humanitarian assistance had not yet been distributed, and the explosion had not affected any residents.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric stated, “I strongly condemn attacks on Red Cross personnel. It is unconscionable that shelling would target an aid distribution point. Today, our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of our colleagues and care for those injured. This tragedy has triggered a wave of grief that is all too familiar to those who have lost loved ones in armed conflicts.”
According to the statement, the ICRC team was preparing to distribute wood and coal briquettes to vulnerable households in Viroliubivka village, north of Donetsk city, to help them prepare for the coming winter when their vehicles were hit.

It also stated that ICRC teams are regularly present in the Donetsk region, and our vehicles are marked with the Red Cross emblem. The deaths of three ICRC colleagues coincide with a sharp increase in the number of humanitarians killed around the world over the last two years.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued an urgent call to respect international humanitarian law, including taking every precaution to ensure that those engaged in humanitarian activities are not targeted or caught in hostilities.
The statement emphasises that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial, and independent organisation with an exclusively humanitarian mandate derived from the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It assists people affected by armed conflict and other forms of violence all over the world, doing everything possible to protect their lives and dignity while also alleviating their suffering, often in collaboration with Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.