Russia

UN rights office urges Russia to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid as winter sets in

Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said massive missile and drone attacks on the power network this week have heightened serious concerns about the plight of civilians facing a winter of hardship and misery.   Russia launched missile and long-range drone strikes on Thursday, which reportedly caused damage in at least 13 regions, in addition to the capital city, … Read moreUN rights office urges Russia to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid as winter sets in

Experts demand answers from Russia over award-winning Ukrainian journalist’s death

That’s according to a group of independent UN human rights experts who said in a statement released on Wednesday they are urgently seeking confirmation of reports regarding the death of Roshchyna, who was forcibly disappeared in August 2023.  The uncertainty surrounding her fate has inflicted anguish on her family, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts … Read moreExperts demand answers from Russia over award-winning Ukrainian journalist’s death

Ukraine: Population drops by 10 million since Russia invaded in 2014, UNFPA reports

Since Russia’s invasion in 2014, the ongoing war has worsened these trends, with millions displaced and thousands killed, said Florence Bauer, UNFPA regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia told journalists at briefing in Geneva. The number of Ukrainian refugees has now reached 6.7 million and, since Russia’s invasion in 2014, Ukraine’s population has declined … Read moreUkraine: Population drops by 10 million since Russia invaded in 2014, UNFPA reports

Russia can’t win on the battlefield, so it’s finding other ways to torment Ukrainian civilians, Zelenskyy tells UN

“These are deliberate Russian attacks on our powerplants and entire energy grid,” he said, noting that it has destroyed all Ukrainian thermal power plants and a large part of the hydro-electric capacity. “This is how [President] Putin is preparing for winter, hoping to torment millions of Ukrainians – ordinary families, women and children, and ordinary … Read moreRussia can’t win on the battlefield, so it’s finding other ways to torment Ukrainian civilians, Zelenskyy tells UN

UN warns of continued prohibited weapons transfers to Ukraine, Russia

Warning the Security Council, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said that since the last briefing on weapons transfers only two weeks ago, the provision of military assistance and transfer of arms and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces have continued in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in violation of the … Read moreUN warns of continued prohibited weapons transfers to Ukraine, Russia

UN experts condemn sentencing of journalists in Russia

On Friday, Mr. Gershkovich was handed a 16-year prison sentence on spying charges in a Russian court. The reporter was arrested in Russia in 2023 and has been held there since, despite calls for his release.  That same day, Ms. Kurmasheva received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for “spreading fake news about the Russian army.” She has been arbitrarily detained … Read moreUN experts condemn sentencing of journalists in Russia

Rights chief urges Russia to end crackdown as journalist detentions reach all-time high

Volker Türk said he was concerned by the increasing number of journalists charged, convicted and jailed for their independent reporting, in what appears to be an intensification of a crackdown on dissenting voices. He described the continuous attacks on free speech and the criminalization of independent journalism in Russia as “very troubling”. “The intensification of the crackdown on journalists’ independent … Read moreRights chief urges Russia to end crackdown as journalist detentions reach all-time high

Russia: Rights experts condemn continued imprisonment of Evan Gershkovich

The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested last March in Yekatarinburg on espionage charges and is being held at the infamous Lefortovo prison in Moscow.  Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, and Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, … Read moreRussia: Rights experts condemn continued imprisonment of Evan Gershkovich

After Navalny death, independent expert on rights in Russia asks ‘who is next?’

Speaking exclusively to UN News, she said her office had raised repeated concerns over the past months, among them, over Mr. Navalny’s deteriorating health. Arrested in 2021, the 47-year-old anti-corruption activist was serving multiple sentences on charges, including extremism. “It’s very shocking that this happened today less than a month before the Russian presidential election, … Read moreAfter Navalny death, independent expert on rights in Russia asks ‘who is next?’

World court rejects bulk of Ukraine’s terrorism charges against Russia

The 117-page judgement contained rulings on seven matters in Ukraine’s case against Russia claiming that Moscow funded pro-Russian separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and the Crimean peninsula. The court ruled that Russia had failed to investigate persons who allegedly breached parts of the Convention against Financing Terrorism. In terms of Russia’s actions in Crimea after … Read moreWorld court rejects bulk of Ukraine’s terrorism charges against Russia