“I am continually inspired by the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people. As I have travelled to Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and most recently to Kramatorsk and Lyman, I have seen for myself how the disruption of essential services such as electricity, water and heating affects people. I have spoken to people whose
Read MoreThe UN’s top official in the country – who also coordinates all the organization’s humanitarian work there – emphasised the urgent need for peace, justice, and sustained international support. In October and November alone, over 2,180 civilian deaths and injuries were verified. The intense fighting has also led to a stream of evacuations, with nearly
Read MoreSpeaking in Geneva, Matthias Schmale described the anguish felt by Ukrainians as the war grinds on: “As we are not only approaching winter but also the sad 1,000-day mark since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, we are of course thinking of the more than 12,000 people who have been killed.” “To date, civilian
Read MoreRecent attacks on energy infrastructure have decimated 65 percent of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity, severely disrupting electricity, heating and water supplies across the country. “The deepening emotional toll on innocent people became clear during my visit to the country last week,” Kelly Clements, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees reported, noting that, “the intense attacks
Read MoreThe UN Security Council is due to meet in emergency session shortly after 3pm New York time on Wednesday on Ukraine, amid unconfirmed reports that troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – more commonly known as North Korea – have been deployed to fight alongside Russian forces. We’ll have live coverage plus
Read MoreIn an oral update to members, Erik Møse, chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, said it has documented new cases of torture committed by Russian authorities against civilians and prisoners of war in occupied areas of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation. “We gathered evidence of sexual violence used as torture, mainly against
Read MoreMiroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said that last month was particularly deadly for Ukrainian civilians, with at least 219 killed and more than 1,000 injured. Since 24 February 2022 – the date of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has documented 11,662 civilian killings
Read MoreMr. Türk said these “relentless” attacks were deepening the humanitarian crisis in the country, tearing apart infrastructure, and creating a host of socioeconomic challenges. Between March and May, 436 civilians were killed and 1,760 injured, High Commissioner Türk said. “These high civilian casualties are largely the result of the ground offensive and aerial attacks,
Read MoreThe couple had gone to Maternity Hospital No. 5 in the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine. The facility is known for its comprehensive maternity care and had earned some local fame as the birthplace of quintuplets. But, just after Ms. Chebotar delivered her baby, an air raid alarm sounded over the city, which
Read More“There has been a very clear intensification of the war over the past couple of months,” said Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. “On my last trip to Ukraine two weeks ago, there were 12 sirens during the day and 12 explosions. There’s a constant disruption to daily life in the city
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