Madam President,
As the holiday season approaches, Ukrainian civilians are preparing to end yet another difficult year at war – without a ceasefire and with uncertain prospects for lasting peace.
Despite cautious optimism around resumed diplomatic efforts, 2025 has been one of the deadliest for the people of Ukraine.
Civilian casualties between January and November this year were 24 percent higher compared to the same period in 2024.
These figures continue to increase, as the Russian Federation escalates its aerial attacks across Ukraine.
On the night of 5 to 6 December, dozens of civilians were injured and hundreds of thousands left without power and other basic utilities, following large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes, targeting energy and transport infrastructure in ten regions across Ukraine.
The night before, a 12-year-old boy was killed in a drone attack on a village in Dnipropetrovsk region.
A week earlier, on 29 November, a massive Russian drone and missile attack reportedly killed six people and injured dozens of others in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions.
This attack also left more than 600,000 people in the Kyiv region without power, under freezing winter temperatures.
On 23 November, a drone strike on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, reportedly killed four people.
In total, since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified that 14,775 Ukrainian civilians, including 755 children, have been killed. 39,322 more, including 2,416 children, have been injured. These numbers only represent the verified casualties. Actual figures are likely significantly higher.
The Russian Federation continues to target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
Systematic attacks on energy infrastructure in the middle of winter threaten to leave millions without reliable heating, water and public transportation as temperatures drop.
People in high-rise buildings cannot use elevators, which leaves the elderly and persons with disabilities trapped in their homes.
This year alone, more than 340 educational facilities in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, depriving children of their right to education.
Local authorities from front-line communities of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Sumy regions reported that access to essential services had collapsed: food shops and pharmacies are closed, medical personnel has left, and electricity cuts have lasted for more than two years in some areas.
These deprivations, in addition to the horrors of daily indiscriminate attacks, are driving further large-scale displacements.
At the same time, local authorities from communities across the border in the Russian Federation also continue to report new civilian casualties from regular attacks launched by the Ukrainian armed forces. Damage to civilian infrastructure is also reported as a result of long-distance Ukrainian strikes on military and energy sites in the Russian Federation.
Due to lack of access and limited public information, the United Nations is not in a position to verify these reports.
As has been stressed at all our briefings, I reiterate that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, are prohibited under international law. No matter where they occur, they are unacceptable and must stop.
My colleague from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will share more information about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and the UN response through the winter.
Madam President,
The United Nations has repeatedly warned against any action that could further escalate or expand this devastating war, now well in its fourth year.
Following repeated alleged violations of airspace of several European countries, we are following with concern the recent reported incidents involving shipping and port infrastructure in the Black Sea.
On 5 December, Bulgarian authorities launched efforts to evacuate the crew of an oil tanker that caught fire off the Black Sea port of Ahtopol. This was one of the two Russian tankers reportedly hit on 29 November by Ukrainian naval drones in the Turkish economic zone.
Earlier, in a separate incident on 2 December, another Russian-flagged tanker, on its way from Russia to Georgia, allegedly came under a drone attack off the Turkish coast.
There have also been reported Russian attacks on port infrastructure in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, as well as alleged Ukrainian attacks on the Azov Sea port of Temryuk in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
While no casualties were reported, these incidents represent yet another step in the current dangerous cycle of escalation.
We continue to urge all concerned to de-escalate tensions and to prevent the risk of further expansion of the conflict.
This certainly also applies to the immense danger the war poses to nuclear sites.
Despite the efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to restore power lines at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the plant continues to experience dangerous power interruptions as a result of ongoing attacks in its vicinity, including most recently during the Russian attacks on 5-6 December.
IAEA has also conducted a comprehensive safety assessment of the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl site, which was severely damaged in a drone strike in February. According to the assessment, the Confinement had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability. No permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems however was found.
Any military actions endangering the safety and security of nuclear plants are unconscionable, irresponsible and must immediately cease.
Madam President,
We remain deeply concerned about systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the areas of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation, as reported by OHCHR. These violations undermine the principles of international humanitarian law set to safeguard human dignity and the protection of civilians.
We recall the international obligations with regards to treatment of prisoners of war, including related to access to information regarding their places of detention.
We are encouraged by the earlier exchanges of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation and urge their continuation, as well as scaled-up returns of Ukrainian children and civilian detainees without delay.
Madam President,
Since the beginning of the full-scale war nearly four years ago, the people of Ukraine have not only shown remarkable resilience to endure the horrible consequences of the war, but also determination to build a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future for their country.
We have seen this consistently in the action of Ukrainian civil society, in particular organizations led by women and young people.
People of Ukraine want peace that is just and lasting.
Meeting their aspirations and ensuring the long-term stability of the region must remain our collective focus and priority.
That is why we remain hopeful that the ongoing diplomatic efforts, led by the United States, can help bring this war to a negotiated end.
The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Immediate de-escalation in fighting, including a halt to ongoing attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, would not only spare civilian lives, but also bring added momentum to ongoing diplomatic efforts.
We urge all stakeholders to actively engage in and support an inclusive diplomatic process in pursuit of a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace.
Achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine requires that any settlement fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and is in line with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant UN resolutions.
The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
Thank you.
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The United Nations on Friday welcomed a newly signed peace accord between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda as a “critical step” toward restoring trust, while warning that active fighting near border areas continue to exact a heavy toll on civilians.
Israeli airstrikes took place within the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) area of operations, the mission said in a statement issued on Friday.
A spike in Israeli military raids and settler violence across the occupied West Bank is driving new displacement, shutting schools and disrupting essential services for tens of thousands of Palestinians, the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, said in its latest humanitarian update Friday.
The ongoing emergency in northern Mozambique continues to worsen as prolonged attacks by non-state armed groups in Nampula trigger one of the largest displacement surges of the year, the UN warned on Friday.
As the world prepares to mark Human Rights Day on 10 December, the UN is warning that war-torn Sudan is in the midst of arguably the gravest human rights crisis of our time.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday warned that Sudan risks “another El Fasher” as fierce fighting spreads across the Kordofan region, raising fears of a fresh wave of atrocities.
Every week in Gaza, at least 15 women give birth outside any health facility, often without a trained midwife, pain relief or basic medical supplies.
The UN General Assembly’s emergency special session spotlighting Russian aggression against Ukraine has reconvened in New York where the world body has adopted a resolution demanding Moscow end the forcible transfer and separation from their families, of Ukrainian children. Follow live coverage below and go here for detailed coverage of other key meetings. UN News app users can follow the vote here.
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday demanded by a wide margin that Russia immediately and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported since the start of the war.
The deadly legacy of conflicts old and new – from Gaza to Sudan and beyond – continues to kill and maim civilians on a near-daily basis, mine action workers said on Wednesday, as they appealed for greater support for their lifesaving work in the face of deep funding cuts.
Civilians across Sudan’s Kordofan region are facing extreme hardship as conflict intensifies, warned the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Wednesday.
For the first time in the country’s history, Syrians are preparing to publicly mark Human Rights Day next week — a small but meaningful step that UN human rights officials say signals a “new chapter” in their engagement with the authorities, and a cautiously optimistic moment for millions seeking change.
The recent parliamentary elections in Iraq mark a fitting end to the work of the UN Mission in the country, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
More than 260 media professionals were killed in the recent hostilities in Gaza – the deadliest conflict for journalists in decades.
The UN says humanitarian partners in Gaza are scaling up winterisation efforts as cold weather and heavy rain continue to impact displaced Palestinians.
Civilian deaths and injuries from landmines and explosive remnants of war have risen to their highest level in four years, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report launched in Geneva on Monday.
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The United Nations has strongly condemned the military coup in Guinea-Bissau, warning that the overthrow of elected authorities just days after national elections represents a grave violation of constitutional order and democratic principles.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR said on Friday that it was “appalled” by the “brazen killing” of two Palestinian men by Israeli border police in the West Bank, describing it as “an apparent summary execution.”
Myanmar’s planned late-December elections are unfolding in what UN rights officials describe as an atmosphere of fear, violence and deep political repression, with thousands detained and major parties excluded in a process that risks entrenching instability rather than restoring democracy.
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s El Fasher remains dire as mass displacement accelerates and aid access stays restricted, amid warnings of widespread trafficking, sexual violence and the recruitment of children.
The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund on Wednesday announced a major milestone, with the approval of more than $1 billion in support to global peacebuilding and conflict-prevention initiatives since 2020.
This year alone, 4.6 million children in Ukraine are struggling to access education as they endure a fourth academic year under full-scale war.
Aid deliveries into Gaza continue to face difficulties as fighting continues across the territory, with the UN warning that most hospitals are only partially functioning and more than 16,500 patients still require urgent medical evacuation.
The ceasefire in Gaza is largely holding but recent violence by Israel and Palestinian militants put the truce at risk, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Monday.
The Security Council is meeting against the backdrop of Gaza’s fragile ceasefire, with ambassadors expected to urge Israel and Hamas to stick to their commitments amid renewed violence and deepening humanitarian needs. The session is likely to focus on safeguarding the truce, easing aid access restrictions and sustaining political momentum. With tensions also rising in the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon, the meeting will test whether the Council can help stabilise the situation and keep alive a credible path towards Palestinian self-determination. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here. For in-depth meetings coverage, go here.
Farah Youssef refused to let the loss of her leg four years ago during conflict in Gaza to sideline her ambitions.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General voiced deep alarm on Saturday over the latest mass abduction from a school in Nigeria, calling for the immediate release of those taken.
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Seventeen civilians, including women in labour and patients receiving care, were slaughtered inside a Catholic Church-run health centre in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week.
Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday.
Officer-in-charge for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Kayoko Gotoh
Remarks to the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine
New York, 20 November 2025
Mr. President,
Ukrainian civilians have continued to bear the brunt of the Russian Federation’s escalating aerial campaign.
Large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have caused widespread and prolonged emergency power outages across most regions of the country, leaving millions without heating, water or public transportation as temperatures plummet.
Hospitals, residential buildings, railways, schools, cultural sites, diplomatic facilities, and even kindergartens have been hit.
Most of the civilian casualties and damage continue to be reported in areas close to the frontline, namely in the Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. But the increased use of long-range weapons by the Russian Federation has placed many more civilians at risk. No region of Ukraine is safe.
Just yesterday, at least 26 people, including three children, were reportedly killed in a Russian drone and missile attack on the western city of Ternopil. Dozens more, including children, were reportedly injured. Many remain missing under the rubble.
This was one of the war’s deadliest strikes on civilians.
In addition, two other western regions - Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk – were also hit. In the northeast, at least 46 people, including two children, were reportedly injured in a drone strike on the city of Kharkiv.
We reiterate the Secretary-General’s strong condemnation of all such indiscriminate attacks against civilians.
Yesterday’s appalling strike follows another massive attack on 14 November, in which hundreds of Russian drones and many missiles hit Kyiv, reportedly killing at least six people and injuring many others.
The attack also damaged the Embassy of Azerbaijan, making it the second incident to impact diplomatic premises in the capital in recent months.
The same day, Russian strikes also shook the Odesa region, reportedly killing two civilians there.
We are concerned over the alarming increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine, with the overall figure from January to October 2025 already exceeding the total for all of last year.
In Kyiv, the number of civilian casualties was nearly 3.8 times higher in the first ten months of 2025 than in all of 2024.
According to figures confirmed by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights , since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 14,534 Ukrainian civilians, including 745 children, have been killed. 38,472 more civilians, including 2,375 children, have been injured.
The war is reported to be increasingly affecting civilian populations inside the Russian Federation, too.
According to Russian authorities, in 2025 Ukrainian drone strikes have killed 392 people, including 22 children, in the Russian Federation and in the areas of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation.
The United Nations is not in a position to verify or confirm these reports and figures.
There are also reports of escalating Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy and industrial facilities.
We recall that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law.
They are unacceptable, wherever they occur, and must stop immediately.
In this context, since the escalation of the attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the United Nations, through the United Nations Development Programme, has continued to work with the Government of Ukraine to increase the resilience and sustainability of the country’s energy sector. UN support has benefited over 6 million people, enabling continued access to electricity, heating, water, and sanitation in severely affected regions.
My colleague from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Edem Wosornu, will brief on the humanitarian situation and operations. This includes updates on the alarming security threats faced by humanitarian workers, including the attack that on 14 October hit a clearly marked UN humanitarian convoy.
Mr. President,
The past months have once again highlighted the fragility of nuclear safety and security during an active war.
On 23 September, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost all its off-site power for the tenth time since February 2022.
After a month-long outage, on 23 October, the Plant was successfully re-connected to Ukraine’s electrical grid. The required repairs were carried out under the protection of a local ceasefire negotiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and observed by its teams on the ground.
We commend the efforts of the IAEA and continue to urge the sides to act responsibly. Any nuclear incident would have unimaginable consequences not only for Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but far beyond. Such risk must be avoided at all costs.
Mr. President,
In all his engagements during the General Assembly, the Secretary-General spared no effort to focus attention on the war in Ukraine and to uphold the UN’s principled position in support of a just peace.
As we meet today, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is wrapping up a visit to Ukraine.
She traveled to Kyiv to ensure continued attention on developments in Ukraine, and to personally reiterate the Secretary-General’s message of the UN’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Mr. President,
Earlier this year, we were encouraged by the resumption of diplomatic efforts towards a ceasefire and a search for lasting peace.
Nearly four years into this war, as the attacks escalate and casualties grow, and calls for an immediate and complete ceasefire increase, such efforts are even more critical. We urge concerted and inclusive diplomatic efforts resulting in tangible progress towards a just and lasting peace.
The alternative is to risk letting the war prolong, expand and escalate further to even more dangerous levels.
We also encourage the Russian Federation and Ukraine to continue working to secure further exchanges of prisoners of war, releases of civilian detainees and return of Ukrainian children. In this regard, we take note of today’s exchange of mortal remains between the sides.
I would like to conclude by reiterating the Secretary-General’s repeated call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine.
This means a peace that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The United Nations stands ready to support all meaningful efforts to that end.
Thank you.
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock warned on Thursday that repeated deadlock in the Security Council has become the “poster child” for wider global gridlock, undermining trust in multilateral institutions.
Millions in Ukraine have been left without heating, water or basic public services as winter temperatures plunge – and civilian deaths this year have already surpassed the total for 2024, the UN Security Council heard on Thursday.
The Security Council is holding a rare open briefing on Ukraine following days of deadly attacks by Russia on civilian areas and amid a renewed US mission to Kyiv in search of a peace deal. With attacks on energy infrastructure soaring and civilian casualties climbing, Council members have demanded answers and action. Can the Council increase pressure on veto-wielding Moscow, secure better protection and aid for civilians, and push toward an elusive ceasefire? Follow live below, find full UN meetings coverage here; UN News app users can click here.
Between January and September, over 7,400 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) were reported in Haiti – an average of about 27 per day, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
