WCC NEWS: WCC denounces continuing attacks on civilians in Ukraine

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay denounced continuing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Russia’s ongoing illegal war against the people of Ukraine. Rubble on the street in central Kyiv, which hours earlier was hit by a Russian missile. In the morning of 10 October 2022, 75 Russian missiles were reported to have been fired at cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv. Photo: Albin Hillert/LWF 16 January 2023 “The latest attacks have added 40 more civilian lives to the terrible toll of human suffering resulting from Russia’s invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine,” said Pillay.  The death toll from Russian missile attack on a residential block in Ukraine’s city of Dnipro on Saturday has risen to 40, according to local officials. Seventy-five people were wounded in the strike, including 14 children, and dozens are still missing. “We appeal once again for respect for the principles of international humanitarian law regarding the protection of civilians, for the attacks that deliberately target civilian infrastructure to stop, and for an end to this war and its violent violations of law and morality.” Statement of the WCC general secretary on continuing attacks on civilians in Ukraine "War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region", statement by the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland