Swiss NGO offices in Ukraine hit by Russian strike

A view of the damaged Swiss mine clearance organisation (FSD) office after shelling in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, July 24, 2024, amid the Russian invasion. The FSD office in Kharkiv was hit by a Russian missile strike. This was announced by the head of the Kharkiv military administration, Oleg Synegubov, on telegram. As a result of shelling the facade and ceilings on several floors were destroyed, including six cars used by the organisation's medics, Synegubov said. The FSD is a Swiss non-governmental humanitarian organisation based in Geneva, is involved in conducting demining operations in Ukraine. EPA/Sergey Kozlov

On Wednesday morning, the offices of the "Fondation suisse de déminage", or Swiss mine clearance organisation, (FSD) were struck by a Russian missile in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine.

The building was severely damaged, but no staff from the Geneva-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) were injured or killed, according to the FSD.

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The building, as well as vehicles and equipment, sustained significant damage, the FSD said in a statement to the Keystone-SDA news agency.

The organisation says it is “deeply saddened” by the strike. It is taking immediate steps to ensure the safety of its staff and support those affected. It is assessing the damage and working on a plan to resume operations “as quickly as possible”.

Translated from French by DeepL/sp

Correction: A previous version of this article used an automatic translation for the Fondation suisse de déminage (FSD)

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