UN Security Council briefing describes rising civilian toll, infrastructure damage in Ukraine

Miroslav Yancha, a representative who addressed the United Nations Security Council, told members that "Russia's invasion of Ukraine launched in blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law" continues to impose a heavy toll on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Yancha cited Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) figures saying that in March "at least 126 civilians were killed and 478 injured," and that attacks on energy infrastructure have become "a daily destructive pattern." He said coordinated strikes since March destroyed or damaged more than two dozen energy facilities, including the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant, and disrupted electricity and water supplies affecting millions.

"We are appalled by the increase in civilian casualties as a result of these relentless attacks," Yancha said, adding that OHCHR data since February 2022 record 10,810 civilians killed, including 600 children, and 20,556 civilians injured. The transcript contains a later unclear numeric line about child injuries that could not be verified from the text.

Yancha reported fresh nationwide attacks and cited incidents in Zaporizhzhia, Sumi (transcript spelling), Poltava, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. He said hostilities have also included "regular cross-border strikes into the Russian Federation." He reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must cease immediately.

Highlighting nuclear risks, Yancha said the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — described in the briefing as Europe’s largest and currently under military occupation — "was directly targeted in military action for the first time since November 2022," with reports of injuries. He cited the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and said the attacks "represent a serious threat to nuclear safety and security" and violate core IAEA principles; Yancha joined the director-general's call for an immediate halt to such attacks to avoid a major nuclear accident.

Yancha welcomed the renewal of mandates for the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, saying continued monitoring and reporting "is an integral part of steps towards accountability." He urged the Russian Federation to "fully cooperate and grant access to the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and independent monitors to areas of Ukraine it occupies."

He closed by warning that the current trajectory of escalation "is a direct threat to regional stability and international security" and called for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace consistent with the UN Charter and General Assembly resolutions defending Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The presiding officer then thanked the speaker and opened the floor to the next participant.