Ambassador Holland condemns Russia's latest aerial bombardment of
Ukrainian cities, which have killed civilians and damaged
civilian infrastructure, and highlights the UK's recent sanctions
package in response to Russia's use of chemical weapons in
Ukraine.
"Thank you, Mr Chair. Last week in this Council we said that
Russia had launched its biggest aerial attacks of the war so far.
One day later, it was already out of date. Last Friday, on
4 July, Russia broke its record again, launching overnight 539
drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine. Apartments, businesses, a
school, a medical facility and other civilian infrastructure were
damaged. A thick smoke cloud hung over central Kyiv, prompting
health warnings. And, overnight on Tuesday, 8 July, Russia
exceeded that again, launching 728 drones and 13 missiles at
Lutsk and other Ukrainian cities. This was the largest such
attack in the war to date. Russia shows no sign of letting up
these aerial assaults. The barrage and destruction continue.
So far in 2025, Russia has launched over 20,000 drones at
Ukraine. That's around 3,500 per month. This is more than 3.5x
the average in 2024. Russia has launched the nine largest daily
air attacks of the war in the past six weeks.
Mr Chair, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
recently published its periodic report on the human rights
situation in Ukraine. It stated: “Our findings strongly suggest a
failure to distinguish between civilian and military targets, and
to take all feasible precautions to verify the military nature of
those targets – or worse, an intentional decision not to.”
These aerial attacks are not the actions of a government that is
serious about peace. President Putin has demonstrated that
amply in recent days by repeating his maximalist objectives for
the war. Following his call with the Kremlin on 3 July, President
Trump told reporters that he was ‘very disappointed with the
conversation' because Putin was ‘not looking to stop'.
Mr Chair, the statement published last week by the Dutch and
German intelligence services indicating Russian use of chemical
weapons on the front line is deeply concerning. The OPCW has now
published three reports confirming the presence of CS gas in
samples collected by Ukraine from the battlefield. We will not
ignore such disregard of the Chemical Weapons Convention. That is
why the UK announced a second package of sanctions this week
against two senior Russian military officials and a Russian
research institute for their involvement in Russia's chemical
weapons violations.
Mr Chair, we must also redouble our efforts to support Ukraine to
get through this, and to rebuild after the war is over. The
Ukraine Recovery Conference being held in Rome this week is a
pivotal moment for the international community to demonstrate its
commitment. In total, the UK has committed £5.3 billion in
non-military support to Ukraine. The World Bank has estimated
that Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction needs will cost USD
$524bn over the next decade. Early recovery and reconstruction
are vital to get through the war and secure a just and lasting
peace. It is essential for all countries to step up their
support, ensuring a unified and effective response to Ukraine's
recovery needs. Thank you."
