© UNICEF/A. Filippov Consequences of a rocket attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. (archive) The UN General Assembly discussed the situation in the “temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine” Peace and Security
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday held a regular meeting on the agenda item “The situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.” Chairman of the General Assembly Annalena Berbock recalled that four and a half years have passed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, and since the illegal annexation Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol” – 12 years.
Berbock noted that the number of victims continues to grow: in the first half of 2026, the scale of deaths and injuries among the civilian population of Ukraine was 114 percent higher than in the same period in 2024 of the year.
“These statistics often hide the true meaning of what is happening, and behind every number there is a human life,” said the Chairman of the General Assembly.
Burbock also noted reports of civilian deaths on Russian territory.
The President of the General Assembly again called for an immediate and complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian armed forces from the territory Ukraine.
“Ukraine does not plan to give up”
Speaking at the same meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Maryana Betsa said that on September 1, the day the school year began in the country, eight people were killed as a result of a massive attack using unmanned aerial vehicles, four of them in the Kyiv region. Among the dead, she said, was an Indian citizen. Betsa recalled the previous statement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the need to end the war and again called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to achieve a complete and lasting ceasefire. Deputy Minister.
According to her, a million Ukrainians “are still under Russian occupation” on the Crimean peninsula and in Sevastopol, as well as in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and others regions.
The Deputy Minister also recalled the resolution adopted by the General Assembly last year on the return of Ukrainian children. According to her, 1.6 million Ukrainian children live in the occupied territories, and over 20 thousand children were taken to Russia.“Russia’s goals are not only control over territories, but also their transformation, as well as the destruction of Ukrainian identity, language and culture,” Betsa said. territories.
“Ukraine wants peace more than anyone else. A peace that will be fair and ensure the territorial integrity of the country within internationally recognized borders,” the representative of Ukraine emphasized.
Russia will continue to achieve its goals
In turn, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said that “For the eighth session in a row, the General Assembly has been forced to discuss the situation in the so-called temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine calling this a politicized issue and a tool of “anti-Russian campaign.”
“The issue of belonging to Crimea and Sevastopol, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions is closed to us and is not subject to discussion. Their residents made their conscious choice and linked their future with Russia,” he said.
He described the referendums held in these territories as the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination, citing the UN Charter and a number of international treaties.
Nebenzya stated that Crimea and other territories under Russian control are experiencing large-scale restoration and development. He also accused the UN Secretariat of not reacting to the actions of the Ukrainian side while simultaneously making accusations against Russia.
“In just one week, from August 17 to 23, as a result of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, at least 30 civilians were killed, and almost 200 people were injured and injured, including children,” he noted.
“In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that without recognition of the existing realities on earth, there will be no peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. While Kyiv continues to cling to illusions, reject the choice of millions of people and refuse to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, Russia will consistently achieve its goals by military means,” the Russian diplomat concluded.