Senior UN officials on Monday strongly condemned recent Russian
attacks on Ukrainian towns and civilian infrastructure,
emphasizing the need for accountability for those harming
civilians during hostilities.
On Thursday, 5 October, an attack in the village of Hroza in the
Kharkiv region resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people,
including one child. This incident marked one of the deadliest
attacks on civilians since Russia’s invasion in February last
year.
Less than 24 hours later, the region faced another strike, as
missiles hit buildings in Kharkiv’s city centre, reportedly
killing two, including one child.
Civilian casualties
“The recent attacks in Kharkiv add to an already unbearable toll
of civilian casualties resulting from Russia’s invasion – a war
launched in violation of the UN Charter and
international law,” Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN
Under-Secretary-General for political affairs, told ambassadors
at the Security Council.
As of Sunday (8 October), the UN human rights
office, OHCHR, had verified 9,806
civilian deaths, including 560 children, and 17,962 injuries due
to the war.
“The actual figures are very likely considerably higher and,
tragically, will continue to rise if current patterns continue,”
Ms. DiCarlo added.
Indiscriminate attacks
In recent weeks, civilians and civilian infrastructure, including
grain storage facilities, across Ukraine have been under nearly
constant attacks.
“Residents of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, Sumy, Donetsk,
Odesa, Kyiv and other regions continued to face unrelenting and
often indiscriminate attacks.”
These, combined with Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea
Initiative, not only endanger the livelihoods of Ukrainian
farmers, but also risk exacerbating hunger worldwide, she said.
Grim human rights picture
Ms. DiCarlo informed the Security Council of
the findings of a UN human
rights office report that “paints a grim picture of
serious human rights violations across the country, most of them
attributed to the Russian armed forces.”
These violations include conflict-related sexual violence
reportedly committed by Russian armed forces and penitentiary
service members, as well as arbitrary and incommunicado detention
of civilians in Russian-occupied territory.
The Office also documented cases of arbitrary detention by
Ukrainian forces, primarily of law enforcement authorities.
Russia’s obligation
OHCHR expressed concern over recent legislation in Russia that
could effectively grant amnesty to its service members for a wide
range of crimes, potentially including serious violations of
international human rights and humanitarian laws, Ms. DiCarlo
noted.
She reiterated Russia’s obligation under international law to
investigate and prosecute potential war crimes and gross human
rights violations committed by its forces in Ukraine.
Attacks against aid workers
Joyce Msuya, Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, also briefed
the 15-member Security Council, highlighting aid efforts to
support people amidst “atrocious attacks”.
However, it is not only civilians who are paying the price, she
said, noting a dramatic rise in attacks against humanitarians,
with 11 aid workers reportedly killed in 2023, up from four the
previous year.
“I have deep appreciation of their bravery, endurance and
commitment to the response in extremely challenging
circumstances. However, there is much more to do,” she said.
The senior UN relief official urged the international community
to help advocate access to all those in need across Ukraine,
including four million people living in areas under the military
control of Russia.
“More than anything, the people of Ukraine need concerted action
to make this devastating war – with its unceasing death,
destruction and suffering – come to an end,” she said.
