WASHINGTON — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern on Tuesday over Russia’s announcement that it plans strikes on Ukrainian defense enterprises and decision-making centers in Kyiv.
Speaking to the U.N. Security Council, Guterres said Moscow’s declaration came a day after one of the heaviest bombardments of Kyiv since the Russia-Ukraine war began. He linked the announcement to recent reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on a college building and dormitory in Starobilsk, a city currently under Russian control.
Guterres condemned the attack on the school and reiterated the U.N.’s stance against assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure anywhere. He warned that further escalation would compound the conflict’s devastating toll on civilians and make prospects for peace more remote, prolonging widespread suffering.