UNSC to meet on Russian attack on Ukraine children�s hospital

United Nations, July 9 (IANS) Security Council is scheduled to take up on Tuesday Russia’s bombing of a children’s hospital in Ukraine that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned as “particularly shocking”.

Ukraine's largest children’s health facility was among the places hit by a barrage of about 40 Russian missiles across the country on Monday.

Russia, which is the president of the Council for this month, will preside over the meeting called at the request of three permanent members, the US, Britain, and France, and the elected members Ecuador and Slovenia.

Guterres’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law, and any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately”.

He said that in addition to the Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialised Hospital in Kyiv, another medical facility in the capital was also hit by missiles.

A representative of Guterres will participate in the Council meeting, he said.

According to media reports, two children and a doctor were killed at the children’s hospital where many child victims of the war were being treated.

In all, nearly 40 people died in the attacks around the country on Monday.

The Council has been unable to act on Ukraine because of vetoes by Russia and China -- and any attempts to act on the latest attacks will also fail.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)