UN High Representative for Disarmament Izumi Nakamitsu. Ukraine: More than 12,000 civilians killed in conflict, according to UN Peace and Security
More than 1,000 days have passed since the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, “in violation of the UN Charter and international law.” Since then, hostilities have continued to escalate, worsening the humanitarian situation. UN High Representative for Disarmament Izumi Nakamitsu said this on Friday, speaking to the Security Council.
Large-scale attacks
The meeting was convened at Russia’s initiative to discuss the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs noted that since the last briefing on this topic, held on 31 October 2024, “the unacceptable level of civilian deaths and injuries, as well as the systematic and deliberate targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by the Russian Federation” have continued. “These large-scale attacks raise serious concerns about the situation of civilians who will have to survive the winter in difficult conditions,” Nakamitsu added.
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In addition, she said, reports of incidents of conflict-related sexual violence and other human rights violations were of grave concern.
All parties to any armed conflict have an obligation to respect international law and to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure from attacks, as well as to support international efforts to investigate violations, the rapporteur recalled. Humanitarian law, she said, among other things, prohibits indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks.
Supply of arms to the parties
The Ukrainian armed forces continued to receive military assistance in the form of weapons and ammunition, the High Representative noted. “According to publicly available information, these transfers included heavy weapons, including tanks, armoured vehicles, combat aircraft and helicopters, large-calibre artillery and missile systems, armed drones, remote-controlled munitions, small arms and ammunition,” she said.
There are also reports, Nakamitsu noted, of states transferring or planning to transfer weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles and munitions, to the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and that these weapons have been used or are likely to be used against Ukraine.”
Reports of military cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK
According to her, there are reports of increased military cooperation between the DPRK and the Russian Federation. These reports include information on the transfer of military supplies to the DPRK, such as ballistic missiles and artillery shells, as well as technical exchanges and the deployment of North Korean troops in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.
“While the United Nations is not in a position to verify or confirm any allegations or reports, the Secretary-General issued a statement on 3 November noting his concern over reports of troop transfers from the DPRK to the Russian Federation, including their possible participation in the conflict zone,” Nakamitsu emphasized. “He said that this would be a very dangerous escalation.”
Any transfer of weapons and ammunition must take place in accordance with applicable international law, including relevant Security Council resolutions, which in some cases impose sanctions and restrictive measures on such transfers, the rapporteur recalled.
Avoid escalation
She also reported that the use of armed drones and missiles by the Russian Federation continues to cause civilian deaths and injuries, as well as damage to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. “On November 21, the President of the Russian Federation confirmed that Russia tested a new medium-range conventional missile called the Oreshnik. This follows the use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces of long-range weapons transferred by the United States and the United Kingdom against the territory of the Russian Federation, some of which reportedly caused damage to civilian facilities,” Nakamitsu noted.
“I call on all parties concerned to refrain from any steps that could lead to a further spread and escalation of the conflict, as well as additional harm to civilians,” she added.
Civilian Casualties
Nakamitsu also provided updated casualty figures. Between 24 February 2022 and 30 November 2024, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded more than 12,340 civilians killed and more than 27,836 wounded in Ukraine . Forty-two percent of casualties in November were related to long-range weapons used by the Russian Federation, a significant increase compared to previous months.
According to verified data from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, from January 1 to November 30, 2024, the use of aerial bombs resulted in the deaths of 341 civilians and the injury of 1,803 people, which is three times the number of deaths and six times the number of injuries from aerial bombs compared to 2023.
Strikes on Russian Territory
In addition, Nakamitsu continued, “a number of cross-border strikes using missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles from Ukraine on the territory of the Russian Federation have been reported, some of which, according to available data, resulted in damage to civilian objects.”
She added that, like any other weapon or weapon system, drones and missiles should not be used in violation of international humanitarian law. The use of explosives in populated areas remains one of the most serious threats to civilians in armed conflict. Such use of weapons is unacceptable given the “well-documented impact on civilians and the potential for indiscriminate effects.”
Cluster Munitions
Reports of the use and transfer of cluster munitions are deeply concerning due to the indiscriminate harm they can cause and the widespread contamination they leave behind, the rapporteur noted.
Anti-Personnel Mines
Equally disturbing are recent allegations of the transfer of expiry-date anti-personnel mines. These explosive devices are prohibited by the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. Universal participation in and full implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons must remain a priority.
International Humanitarian Law
In conclusion of her speech, Izumi Nakamitsu once again called on all States to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, to become parties to disarmament treaties as soon as possible and to comply with the obligations arising from them.
The UN, as Nakamitsu recalled, insists on the need to establish a “just, lasting and comprehensive peace” in accordance with the UN Charter and the relevant General Assembly resolutions.