Matthias Schmale condemned the large-scale Russian attack on the capital kyiv, as well as Dnipro and Kharkiv, which marked the third time they had been attacked in as many weeks.
“Instead of enjoying the start of the summer school holidays, children and their families spent the night in underground shelters, awakened by air raid sirens, explosions and uncertainty,” he said.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
He reiterated the Secretary-General’s urgent call for an immediate reduction in tensions leading to a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
More than 600 missiles and drones deployed
While kyiv and Dnipro are among the most affected cities, explosions were also reported in several other regions, including Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv and Poltava, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported.
The mission cited the Ukrainian Air Force, which said Russia launched 656 drones and long-range missiles in the massive overnight strike, and while many of the weapons were intercepted, 30 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and 33 long-range drones hit 38 locations.
Russian authorities issued a statement saying the bombing was in response to a Ukrainian attack last week in Starobilsk, Luhansk region, which reportedly killed 21 civilians, it said.
Moscow had recently warned of “consistent and systemic” attacks against targets in kyiv.
Rescue operations underway
HMRRU teams visited sites in the city and Dnipro, where rescue operations were taking place amid reports that people were still trapped under rubble.
“Although civilians took protective measures and sought shelter, the attack killed at least 22 civilians and injured 145, including children,” said Danielle Bell, director of HRMMU.
“The loss of life, injuries and damage to civilian infrastructure underscore the foreseeable human cost of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”
“Senseless devastation”
An emergency worker in kyiv was among the dead, HMRRU said, underscoring the risks these personnel face when helping civilians after attacks.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed sadness over reports that a three-year-old boy was killed in Dnipro and that 10 children were injured in attacks across Ukraine.
“The brutal and senseless devastation of young people’s lives must end,” the agency tweeted.
Valeriia, 13, and her mother spent the night in a basement during a massive attack in kyiv.
In another publication, UNICEF shared the testimony of Valeriia, a 13-year-old girl from kyiv, who spent the night in a basement with her mother.
“I thought I wasn’t going to survive,” he said. “I completely collapsed and was crying when the explosions became so powerful that they blew open the shelter door.”
End all attacks
Schmale noted that “war continues to take a devastating toll on civilians and their mental health as they have no respite and fear and anxiety rise amid anticipation of upcoming attacks across the country.”
He stressed the need to respect international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including homes and hospitals.
“The Russian Federation’s inflammatory rhetoric and escalating attacks must stop, paving the way for a just peace,” he said.
The UN monitoring mission said the increased use of long-range missiles and drones has been a major cause of civilian casualties in Ukraine. The numbers so far this year are about 20 percent higher than the same period in 2025, largely due to the increased use of long-range weapons.