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.
Mothers who’ve been left starving in Gaza are now giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
The Security Council is meeting in New York for a high-stakes briefing on Ukraine, called by six members amid rising civilian casualties and renewed strikes on energy infrastructure as winter sets in. It comes as Washington’s 28-point peace proposal is being revised following pushback from Kyiv and European allies, and after talks in Moscow and Florida failed to deliver concrete progress. Today’s meeting will gauge where diplomacy stands. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here. For in-depth meetings coverage, go here.
With temperatures plunging below freezing and cities facing long, daily power cuts, Ukrainian civilians are again bracing for winter under fire, as UN officials warned the Security Council that intensified attacks on energy infrastructure and shrinking aid budgets are taking a major toll.
As Sudan’s civil war intensified on Monday, top UN officials condemned the killing of dozens of children in drone strikes in South Kordofan state – and the targeting of first responders trying to help the wounded.
A year after the fall of the Assad regime opened the door to political and judicial reform, Syria’s future is still precarious.
Civilians across Ukraine endured a surge in deadly strikes over the weekend, with the UN warning of an “alarming pattern” of intensifying hostilities and mounting damage to essential services as temperatures continue to drop.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) chief on Monday urged the UN Security Council to uphold core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and human rights, warning that Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to undermine European security.
Talking to journalists earlier this week on his final day as the first UN Global Advocate for Persons with Disabilities in Conflict and Peacebuilding Situations, Giles Duley said he felt he had failed in his core mission. More importantly, he added, the system itself has failed.
The UN Secretary-General has marked the first anniversary of the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, calling the moment “a day to honor [Syrians’] sacrifices and to renew the aspirations that fueled the historic change in the country.”
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Civilians across Sudan’s Kordofan region are facing extreme hardship as conflict intensifies, warned the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Wednesday.
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.
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.
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.
The UN says humanitarian partners in Gaza are scaling up winterisation efforts as cold weather and heavy rain continue to impact displaced Palestinians.
More than 260 media professionals were killed in the recent hostilities in Gaza – the deadliest conflict for journalists in decades.
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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.
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 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.
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.
Farah Youssef refused to let the loss of her leg four years ago during conflict in Gaza to sideline her ambitions.
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.
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.
