Meeting of the UN Security Council (archive). The UN Security Council met for a meeting on Ukraine Peace and Security
2025 has become one of the deadliest years for the people of Ukraine. The number of civilian casualties from January to November this year is 24 percent higher than the same period in 2024. The acting head of the Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Department of the Department of Political Affairs, Kaeko Goto, warned about this during a meeting of the UN Security Council.
According to her, the Russian Federation is intensifying air attacks throughout Ukraine. In total, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russian Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has confirmed the deaths of 14,775 Ukrainian civilians, including 755 children. A further 39,322 people, including 2,416 children, were injured. The actual numbers are likely much higher, Goto said.
Attacks on civilian infrastructure
The UN spokeswoman also said systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure threaten to leave millions of people without heat, water or the ability to move around in winter weather. In addition, according to her speech, more than 340 educational institutions in the country have been damaged or destroyed this year.
Goto noted that local authorities in the Russian Federation also continue to report civilian casualties as a result of attacks by Ukrainian military forces and damage to civilian infrastructure as a result of long-range attacks on military and energy facilities in the Russian Federation. However, due to lack of access and limited information, the UN cannot verify these reports.
Goto stressed that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international law, wherever they occur.
The situation in Chernoe sea
She also noted the UN’s concerns regarding recent reports of incidents related to shipping and port infrastructure in the Black Sea. Thus, on December 5, the Bulgarian authorities began evacuating the crew of an oil tanker that caught fire near the Black Sea port of Ahtopol. Two Russian tankers were reportedly hit by Ukrainian drones in Turkey’s economic zone on November 29. In addition, there is information that on December 2, another tanker flying the Russian flag was attacked by a drone off the Turkish coast. There are also reports of Russian attacks on infrastructure in the Ukrainian port of Odessa, as well as suspected Ukrainian attacks on the Azov port of Temryuk in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Ready.
Risks of escalation
“We continue to call on all parties concerned to reduce tensions and prevent the risk of further expansion of the conflict. This certainly applies to the enormous danger that war poses to nuclear facilities,” she continued.
Despite the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ukraine’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant continues to face power outages due to ongoing attacks in its vicinity, the speaker said. The IAEA also conducted a comprehensive safety assessment of the New Safe Confinement at the Chernobyl site, which found that the structure had lost its essential functions. “We remain deeply concerned by the systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the territories of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation,” it added Ready.
“The people of Ukraine want peace – fair and lasting. Satisfying these aspirations and ensuring the long-term stability of the region must remain our collective priority,” the UN representative emphasized. – That is why we hope that continued diplomatic efforts, led by the United States, will help bring this war to a negotiated end.”
Humanitarian Situation
In turn, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya, speaking on behalf of UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, said missile and drone attacks across Ukraine continue to kill and injure civilians and disrupt vital services.
Elderly people, people with disabilities and families with small children are increasingly choosing to evacuate after days without heating, clean water or stable power supply.
“In Kherson last week, a shock damaged a thermal power plant serving thousands of residents. A doctor from a nearby clinic shared with our team: “People can survive for a while without electricity, but not without heat. Without heating, the condition of our elderly patients deteriorates within a few hours,” Msuya said. Questions reported that this year 44 convoys have delivered emergency supplies to 50,000 civilians in hard-to-reach areas of Ukraine along the front line. However, donors have provided only 65 percent of the $278 million needed to implement the Winter Response Plan. The Global Humanitarian Plan, published yesterday, highlights the scale of the needs: 10.8 million people in Ukraine will need assistance in 2026.
“Lack of funding leads to human losses. Families live without heating during frosts; women and girls are losing access to safe spaces; and elderly people in areas on the front line are left without the means to evacuate,” Msuya warned.
She called on Security Council members to use all the tools at their disposal to ensure respect for humanitarian law, as well as to provide what is needed to support the people of Ukraine financing.
Material being updated