By Eve Sampson
On Thursday, three Red Cross workers lost their lives and two others were injured when artillery fire targeted a frontline aid distribution point in Ukraine, as stated by the organization.
Workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross were in the midst of preparations to distribute wood and coal briquettes in the village of Viroliubivka, situated in the Donetsk region, when they came under fire, according to a statement from the group.
The distribution of aid had not commenced, and no local residents were reported harmed, the Red Cross noted. The supplies were intended to help residents endure the approaching cold winter nights.
The Red Cross emphasized that its teams routinely operate in the area, and their vehicles bear clear markings.
Pictures taken following the attacks depict a white truck with a prominent red cross emblazoned on its side engulfed in flames, its cabin ablaze, with thick black smoke rising high into the air.
Injured team members were promptly transported for medical care, with one reported in serious condition, as per a statement from Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.
This assault coincided with an escalation of Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, located approximately 35 miles away, as Russian forces continued their offensive aimed at seizing this strategic location. Living conditions in the city have worsened, with remaining residents largely deprived of water and electricity.
The Red Cross condemned the shelling but refrained from placing specific blame.
“I strongly denounce attacks on Red Cross staff,” remarked Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in the statement. “It is absolutely unacceptable for shelling to strike an aid distribution site. Our hearts ache today as we mourn our colleagues and tend to the injured.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of being responsible for the fatalities, referring to the incidents as “another Russian war crime,” accompanied by a photograph of the burning Red Cross vehicle.
According to the United Nations, last year marked the deadliest year on record for humanitarian aid workers, reporting 280 aid workers killed across 33 nations in 2023, representing a 137% rise compared to the previous year.
For the years 2023 and the first half of 2024, the ICRC reported six staff members killed and 14 injured, not accounting for the casualties from Thursday’s attack.
Pat Griffiths, a Red Cross spokesperson in Ukraine, was attending a conference in Kyiv when he learned of the deaths of his colleagues. He mentioned that he had recently been in eastern Ukraine with the team that suffered the losses.
“The prevailing emotion is grief,” he expressed. “And due to our commitment to neutrality, all we can do is reiterate this urgent appeal for all nations and conflict parties to adhere to international humanitarian law, which clearly states that humanitarian workers and those providing aid, including ambulance drivers and first responders, must not be targets.”
When asked if the organization would stop operations in that region of Ukraine, fellow spokesperson Jason Straziuso responded that the Red Cross continuously assesses the security situation and plans to conduct an analysis of the attack.
“We recognize that our mission of aiding people near conflict zones is inherently perilous,” Straziuso noted. “We understand we cannot eliminate all risks. When individuals contemplate the risks faced by humanitarian workers, we hope they also consider the dangers encountered by residents living in proximity to conflict front lines.”
