“Hospitals, residential buildings, railways, schools, cultural sites, diplomatic institutions and even kindergartens are being hit.” UN Security Council on Ukraine: attacks on the country are intensifying, the number of victims is growing Peace and Security
Kaeko Goto, acting director of the Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Division of the UN Department of Political Affairs, spoke at a Security Council meeting on Thursday with strong condemnation of the escalation of the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the civilian population.
Goto said Ukrainian civilians continue to “bear the brunt of the Russian Federation’s intensifying air campaign.” She noted that the attacks on energy infrastructure have caused “massive and prolonged emergency power outages in most regions of the country, leaving millions without heating, water and public transport as temperatures drop.” gardens.
Tragedy in Ternopil
Goto stressed that now “not a single region of Ukraine is safe.” She gave an example of the November 19 attack: “Just yesterday, at least 26 people, including three children, were reported to have been killed in a Russian drone and missile strike on the western city of Ternopil. Dozens of others, including children, were reportedly injured. Many remain under the rubble.”
The attack was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the war, the UN spokeswoman added.
Increasing death toll
UN expresses concern at “alarming rise in civilian casualties.” From January to October 2025, their number has already exceeded the figures for the entire last year. In Kyiv, the number of deaths and injuries in the first ten months was almost four times higher than in all of 2024.
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 14,534 Ukrainian civilians, including 745 children, have been killed since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022. Another 38,472 people, including 2,375 children, were injured.
Attacks on Russia
Goto noted that the war is increasingly affecting the population of the Russian Federation. In 2025, Ukrainian drone strikes killed 392 people, including 22 children, on Russian territory and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, according to Russian authorities. The UN does not have the ability to confirm this information, Goto noted.
Nuclear Security
Particular attention was paid to risks in the field of nuclear security in Goto’s speech. She recalled that on September 23, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant “lost external power supply for the tenth time since February 2022.” After a month-long outage, the station was reconnected to the network on October 23 thanks to repairs carried out under the conditions of a local ceasefire brokered by the IAEA.
“Any nuclear incident would have unimaginable consequences not only for Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but also far beyond their borders. Such a risk must be prevented at all costs,” Goto said.
Call for Peace
Kayoko Goto concluded her speech by emphasizing that almost four years since the start of the war, as the number of attacks and casualties increases, calls for an immediate and complete ceasefire are becoming even stronger important.
Goto reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s call for a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as the first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace.
The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating
Speaking on behalf of Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Edem Vosornu said the impact of war on civilians is becoming increasingly devastating. 3,000 residents of the Estuary were beyond the reach of humanitarian support. This year alone, the World Health Organization has recorded more than 500 attacks on medical facilities, including an attack on a children’s hospital in Kherson.
Vosornu emphasized: “International humanitarian law requires that all possible measures be taken to prevent and minimize harm to civilians. Indiscriminate attacks… are strictly prohibited. These fundamental rules must be respected.”
According to the UN, 3.7 million people remain in the status of displaced persons within Ukraine, and almost six million remain in the status of refugees abroad. From January to September, the UN and its partners provided assistance to more than 4.2 million people, but access to many front-line areas and occupied territories remains extremely limited. roads. But resilience is no substitute for protection, security, dignity and respect for international law.”