Kehri condemns 15 June strikes on Ukraine, cites damage to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and rising civilian toll

Kehri told the assembly that on 15 June the Russian Federation "launched yet another deadly strike on Ukraine," hitting multiple regions with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones and causing civilian casualties and wide damage to cultural sites.

He said attacks struck Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions and added that in Kyiv "five people were reportedly killed and 30 others, including children, injured." He warned that "sites with immeasurable historic and cultural value for Ukraine and beyond were damaged," singling out the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the 11th‑century Dormition Cathedral.

"The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, part of UNESCO World Heritage, was hit causing significant damage to the exterior and interior of the 11th century Dormition Cathedral," Kehri said, noting UNESCO has verified damage to more than 530 cultural sites in Ukraine since February 2022. He used those figures to underline the scale of harm to Ukraine’s heritage.

Kehri cited recent casualty figures from U.N.‑linked bodies: "According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, last month at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured in Ukraine," he said, and added OSCE‑verified totals since February 2022 of at least 16,126 civilians killed, including 796 children, and 46,590 injured, including 2,835 children, while noting actual figures are likely higher.

He also described attacks that have affected areas inside the Russian Federation, including a reported missile strike on an industrial plant in Voronezh and a reported drone strike that injured dozens around Moscow. Kehri recounted reports of a drone strike on a bus carrying a Belarusian youth soccer team in the Bryansk region, citing Russian and Belarusian authorities’ accounts that one pregnant woman was killed and several children were injured.

On nuclear safety, Kehri warned of "grave concern" about increased military activity near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He said the International Atomic Energy Agency maintains a presence at Ukraine's nuclear sites "to help ensure nuclear safety and security," and urged "all parties to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint by immediately ceasing military activities near all nuclear facilities."

Looking ahead to recovery, Kehri noted that the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk will convene to advance reconstruction efforts and said "the United Nations will continue to support the people of Ukraine in their long road to recovery." He stressed that recovery should include women in decision‑making and be "anchored in a broader vision for peace."

Kehri closed with a direct appeal for diplomacy: "Concerted diplomatic efforts toward the full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire must resume now," and reiterated the United Nations’ condemnation of attacks on civilians and cultural property. The assembly's presiding President then thanked Kehri for his information and moved the session forward.