Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, called for greater efforts to spare and protect civilians. The Mission has been in the country since 2014, when it began work documenting violations stemming from the fighting in the east between Government forces and mostly pro-Russian separatists. Ms. Bogner said the resulting
Read MoreThe “sad and tragic milestone” coincided with Ukraine’s 31st anniversary of independence, and Mr. Guterres congratulated the country’s people. Today marks a sad and tragic milestone – six months since Russia’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have been killed. Millions have been displaced. The people of Ukraine and beyond need peace and
Read MoreBefore dawn on 24 February, Kharkiv took a fierce hit. Within 24 hours, Russian troops had reached the northern suburbs, just 30 kilometres from the Ukraine-Russia border. Despite outnumbering the Ukrainian forces, the invading army was unable to enter the city. “I am from Kharkiv, from the largest residential area in Ukraine – Saltivka, where
Read MoreRecent weeks have seen an escalation in shelling in and around Europe’s largest nuclear facility. The Council meeting was requested by Russia, whose forces have occupied the plant since March, or shortly after the start of the war, while Ukrainian personnel continue to carry out their on-site operations. ‘Suicidal’ threat Ms. DiCarlo reiterated the UN’s
Read MoreOHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the trials by the Russian-backed authorities could begin in the occupied city, possibly within days – and warned that such a process could amount to a war crime. “We are very concerned about the manner in which this is being done. There are pictures in the media of cages being
Read More“Once again, as in all wars, the reckless decisions of adults are putting children at extreme risk. There are no armed operations of this kind that do not result in children being harmed,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. Likely underestimate The Russian invasion of Ukraine began nearly six months ago, and
Read MoreIn a dark, overcrowded cellar in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 40-year-old Natalia is hiding from almost constant air raids nearby. Together with her son, niece, uncle and mother, she lives in one of the most dangerous areas of the city. Sleeping on a cold floor alongside dozens of others, sometimes she does not see the sky for
Read MoreMr. Guterres flew into Istanbul on Saturday morning from Chisinau, Moldova – where he was hosted for a working dinner with President Maia Sandu the previous evening – and boarded a pilot boat in the Sea of Marmara, where he sailed next to the M/V Brave Commander, the World Food Programme (WFP) ship which picked
Read MoreShips carrying grain have been leaving there under a recent UN-brokered agreement, and Mr. Guterres said Odesa was a symbol of what countries can achieve when they work together for the common good. Speaking to journalists, the UN chief revealed that it was a moving experience to be at the port, where he witnessed wheat
Read MoreSpeaking at a press conference alongside Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to visit “again during such a difficult period”. Despite that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed a few weeks ago, the UN chief reiterated that “there is no solution to the global food crisis without ensuring full global
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