“Ukrainian civilians continued to bear the brunt of the Russian Federation’s growing air campaign,” said Kayoto Gotoh, UN Europe director. Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA).
She made her briefing to the Council against the backdrop of sustained missile and drone strikes, including a barrage Wednesday evening that killed at least 25 people.
Despite the escalation of violence, Gotoh noted that the UN has helped more than six million people with electricity, heating, water and sanitation services.
She also highlighted the breakthrough made last month by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which obtained an agreement from both parties to reconnect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the network.
No region is spared
While most civilian casualties occur near the front line, Russia’s increasing use of long-range weapons is exposing more of the country to danger. Describing Wednesday’s assault as one of the “deadliest of the war”, Ms Gotoh said the western regions of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk were also hit. “No region in Ukraine is safe“, she warned.
Alarming figures in terms of victims underline the scale of the crisis. The number of civilians killed in kyiv at the end of October was almost four times higher than in all of 2024.and the total number of victims nationwide has already exceeded last year’s number.
According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), 14,534 civilians – including 745 children – have been killed since the start of the war.
Russia is also suffering the growing consequences of the conflict: Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly killed 392 people, including 22 childrenaccording to Russian authorities. The UN has not been able to verify these figures.
Under voltage
Some 3.7 million Ukrainians remain internally displaced and nearly six million are refugees, said Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy at the U.N. aid coordination office. OCHA.
This year alone, around 122,000 people have been displaced, mainly from frontline areas.
Aid workers continue to operate under constant threat of bombing, shifting battle lines and other security risks.
“We continue to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian and medical personnel and assets,” Ms. Wosornu said.
She warned that the serious underfunding of the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan is already reducing essential services, leaving 72,000 displaced people without adequate shelter, limiting specialist support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and interrupting essential programs for more than 600,000 women and girls.
For complete coverage of all major meetings at UN Headquarters, see our Meetings Coverage Sectionand we have live, in-depth coverage of key country statements today here on the main page of UN News.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
