UN rights boss says Russian strikes plunge millions into hardship

FILE PHOTO: Newly appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk gives a statement during a news conference at Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said on Thursday that Russian strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine since October had killed at least 77 civilians and were plunging millions of people into extreme hardship.

"Millions are being plunged into extreme hardship and appalling conditions of life by these strikes," said Volker Turk in a statement. "Taken as a whole, this raises serious problems under international humanitarian law, which requires a concrete and direct military advantage for each object attacked."