November 2024 marks 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the needs of the country’s civilian population are growing amid intense attacks and as the winter season sets in. On the 1,000th day of the war, the UN calls on the international community to continue to support Ukraine Peace and Security
Since February 2022, more than 39,000 civilians have been killed or wounded across Ukraine, more than 3,400 schools and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, and 10 million people have fled their homes, UN Resident Coordinator Matthias Schmale recalled on Tuesday, the 1,000th day since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
“As Ukrainians prepare for another winter of war, UN support and international solidarity must continue. I call on the international community to stand with Ukraine and continue to support the heroic work of first responders, including volunteers,” he said.
Humanitarian Needs
In turn, Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), emphasized that more than 14.6 million people across Ukraine need humanitarian assistance.
“As winter sets in, sustained attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have destroyed 65 percent of the country’s generating capacity, leave local residents without essential electricity, heat and water,” Pope said in a statement.
The IOM chief called on government leaders, the private sector and the entire global community to continue to provide support to those in need. “Together, we can provide warmth, dignity and hope for peace even in the darkest winter,” she said.
Civilian Casualties
The spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jeremy Lawrence, recalled that during the 1,000 days of the full-scale invasion, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has verified the deaths of at least 12,162 civilians, including 659 children. At least 26,919 civilians have been injured.
Lawrence also said that at least 30 people were reportedly killed in a series of strikes on residential areas in Sumy, Odessa and Hlukhiv over the past two days. In an attack on Hlukhiv late yesterday evening, nine civilians, including a child, were killed and 11, including two children, were injured, the spokesman added.
He also reported that on Monday, the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, visited areas in Zaporizhia that had recently suffered from strikes by Russian glide bombs. When used in cities and other populated areas, these munitions cause numerous civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Bell visited, in particular, an oncology center that was damaged by a glide bomb on November 7, when patients were undergoing chemotherapy there.
The OHCHR once again called on the parties to ensure the safety and protection of the civilian population.
Violations of International Law
Representatives of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the Events on the Territory of Ukraine today recall the “large-scale violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by the Russian Federation.” These, according to the Commission, include the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons with a wide area effect, strikes on civilian targets, mass attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as well as the forced displacement and deportation of children.
“As we mark the 1,000th day of the war, the Commission wishes to draw attention to its October 2024 report, in which it concluded that torture committed by the Russian authorities against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war amounted to crimes against humanity. Such crimes are among the most serious under international law,” the human rights activists said.