UN calls for end to bombings of schools in Ukraine war

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations demands an end to the bombing of Ukrainian schools, and denounces their use for military ends during a meeting of the Security Council.

“Hundreds of schools across the country are reported to have been hit by heavy artillery, airstrikes and other explosive weapons in populated areas,” Omar Abdi, deputy executive director of the UN children’s fund, tells the Council.

“These attacks must stop,” Abdi says.

As of last week, of the 89 UNICEF-supported schools in eastern Ukraine, one in six had been “damaged or destroyed” since the Russian invasion on February 24, he says.

“Other schools are being used as information centers, shelters, supply hubs, or for military purposes — with long-term impact on children’s return to education,” he adds.

The Security Council meeting was convened at the request of Mexico and France, which stressed that attacks on schools were a flagrant violation of humanitarian law.