Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča
Remarks to the Security Council
On the Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine
New York, 29 June 2025
Mr. President,
Yesterday, the Secretary-General condemned the Russian Federation’s overnight missile and drone attacks that killed and injured many civilians, including children, across Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian Federation launched 598 drones and 31 missiles against Ukraine overnight between 27 and 28 August.
In the capital city of Kyiv, at least 23 people, including four children aged between two and 17, were reportedly killed. At least 64 people, including seven children, were injured.
Several buildings were damaged in 33 locations across all 10 districts of the city.
Most of the fatalities occurred in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, where a missile reportedly struck a five-story residential building, demolishing it from the first to the fifth floor.
The attack also severely damaged the diplomatic premises of the delegation of the European Union in Kyiv and the British Council building.
Across Ukraine, air raid sirens kept residents awake seeking shelter in nearly all regions of the country.
Civilian casualties were reported in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson regions of Ukraine. In Vinnytsia region, a Russian attack reportedly struck a train depot.
Yesterday’s strikes are only the latest in the brutal escalation of country-wide aerial attacks.
Just a week ago, overnight between 21-22 August, Russia reportedly launched 574 drones and 40 missiles on Ukraine.
As a result, one person was killed in the western city of Lviv.
In the south-western Transcarpathia region, 15 people were wounded.
These strikes on regions far from the frontlines demonstrate the dangerously expanding geographic scope of this war.
In July, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded rising civilian casualties across 18 regions of Ukraine and in Kyiv City.
With at least 1,674 civilian casualties - 286 killed and 1,388 injured – July set a new, tragic record for monthly casualties since May 2022.
In total, OHCHR has verified that since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 14,054 civilians, including 730 children, have been killed in Ukraine. 36,164 civilians, including 2,263 children, have been injured.
The impact of the conflict has also spread to the Russian Federation, where local authorities have reported civilian casualties, including in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions bordering Ukraine.
On 24 August, Russian officials reported that a fire broke out after a Ukrainian drone was shot down near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, damaging a transformer at the site.
We have also seen several reports of Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries inside Russia.
While the United Nations is not in a position to verify these reports, the growing impact of the conflict on the civilian population in the Russian Federation is of concern, too.
We once again reiterate that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. We condemn all such attacks, wherever they occur. They are unacceptable and must end immediately.
Mr. President,
We are also concerned about the impact of the expanding and escalating fighting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine as we are entering the fourth winter of the full-scale war.
The United Nations remains fully committed to supporting Ukrainian civilians. So far this year, together with our humanitarian partners, we have reached 3.8 million people with aid.
Furthermore, targeted winter support preparations are underway for 1.7 million people through the 2025-2026 Winterization Response Plan.
However, for us to be able to continue our life-saving work, scaled up and flexible donor support is urgently needed.
We also continue to urge the sides to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, and allow for the safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access to civilians in need – no matter where they are or who controls the territory.
Mr. President,
The mounting death toll and devastation caused by the intensifying fighting over the summer run counter to the significant efforts over the past few months to give diplomacy a chance.
The Secretary-General has welcomed the recent diplomatic efforts led by the United States, including the meeting between the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation in Anchorage, on 15 August, and the meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Ukraine and European leaders in Washington D.C. on 18 August.
We have also welcomed the earlier three rounds of direct talks between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in Istanbul between May and July.
We commend the exchanges of prisoners of war that have continued to take place as a result of these contacts. Most recently, on 24 August, an exchange, facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, brought 146 prisoners home from each side.
However, as large-scale attacks against civilians persist and civilian casualties rise, the current diplomatic momentum is at risk of rapidly fading if the focus on the need to end the violence and engage in genuine peace talks is not maintained.
We therefore urge all concerned to urgently de-escalate the situation and to redouble efforts to create conditions for inclusive diplomatic efforts towards a cessation of hostilities and a just peace.
On Sunday, 25 August, Ukraine marked its 34th Independence Day. That day also marked three and a half years of full-scale war for the people of Ukraine and Russia, which has continued to be a source of instability regionally and globally.
We renew the Secretary-General’s appeal for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. A ceasefire that results in a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine – one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The United Nations remains ready to support all efforts to this end.
Thank you.
In Iran, the increase in executions carried out this year indicates that the death penalty is being used as a tool of State intimidation, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday.
The UN Security Council met in emergency session in New York on Friday afternoon following overnight strikes early on Thursday by Russia on Ukrainian cities including the capital, which left at least 23 dead, including four children. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča told ambassadors that diplomatic momentum towards a possible peace deal was “at risk of rapidly fading” if large-scale attacks by Moscow continue. Follow our live meetings coverage below.
The UN Secretary-General appealed on Friday for an immediate ceasefire in and around the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped for over a year.
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In the occupied West Bank village of Kufr Qaddum, *Yousef stands behind a sealed iron gate, cut off from the olive trees that have sustained his family for generations.
Large-scale attacks by Russia against civilians in Ukraine could see any hopes of a lasting peace deal there rapidly fade, a senior UN official said during an emergency session of the Security Council on Friday.
Russia’s latest deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight including the capital, Kyiv, left four children dead and dozens injured, UN aid agencies reported on Thursday.
The UN peacekeeping mission which patrols the so-called Blue Line of separation between Israel and Lebanon received the unanimous support of the Security Council on Thursday to extend through 31 December next year.
State authority is crumbling across Haiti while gang violence engulfs the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond, “paralysing daily life and forcing families to flee,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
Haitians are enduring a “perfect storm of suffering” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday as gang violence continues to paralyse daily life across the island. Around 1.3 million people – half of them children – have fled their homes and six million are relying on humanitarian assistance. Follow our live Meetings Coverage as the latest crisis debate unfolds.
The United Nations confirmed on Thursday that France, Germany and the United Kingdom have initiated a process that could lead to the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme within the next 30 days.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza, greater humanitarian access and the release of all hostages, as the enclave faces yet another deadly escalation.
Following a devastating 15-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants focused on southern Lebanon, the November 2024 cessation of hostilities created a fragile calm along the Blue Line separating the two countries.
After 500 days of siege, the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur has become an epicentre of child suffering, with malnutrition, disease and violence claiming young lives every day, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday issued a new warning over the deadly impacts of the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza on people there now suffering starvation.
Nearly two years of war in Gaza along with continued violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank underscore the need to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, a top UN official in the region told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča
Remarks to the Security Council
On Nord Stream
New York, 26 June 2025
Mr. President,
Nearly three years have passed since the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022.
This incident has increased concerns about the safety and security of critical civilian infrastructure at a time of heightened tensions in the region. It also sparked speculation over the past years.
This briefing, similarly to our previous briefings on this topic, is based solely on information that is publicly available and shared by the Member States concerned on the matter. The United Nations does not have any additional details of the events and is not in a position to verify or confirm claims or reports made regarding the incident.
To recap the events, between 26 and 29 September 2022, four leaks were reported in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. These pipelines are located in international waters, within the Swedish and Danish economic zones in the Baltic Sea.
The pipelines were not in operation at the time, but they reportedly contained several hundred million cubic meters of natural gas.
According to a study coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme that was published in January this year, the incident resulted in the planet’s largest human-caused release of methane.
Nearly 70 scientists from 30 research organizations participated in the study. They concluded that the plausible range of the Nord Stream leak was anywhere from 445,000 to 485,000 tonnes - more than twice as much as previously thought. According to the experts, over the short-term, the Nord Stream leak contributed as much to global warming as would have 8 million cars driven for a year.
Although the incident only represents a small part of global methane emissions, it is an important reminder of the environmental impact on global warming caused by the destruction of critical infrastructure.
Mr. President,
After the leaks were reported, the Danish, German and Swedish authorities announced the launch of separate national investigations. The authorities have provided updates to the UN Security Council on these investigations.
Since we last briefed the Council on this topic on 24 April 2024, further communications have been received.
In a letter dated 16 August 2024 addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (S/2024/619), the Charge d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation drew attention to media coverage of the Nord Stream incidents and investigation process.
On 9 September 2024, a joint letter from the Permanent Representatives of Denmark, Germany and Sweden to the President of the Security Council (S/2024/665) informed that the Office of the Federal Prosecutor in Germany continues to conduct criminal investigations into the sabotage against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
In a letter from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, dated 10 October 2024, addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (S/2024/727) the Russian Federation reiterated its concerns about the ongoing German investigation and reiterated that they see a need for an international investigation into the Nord Stream incidents.
Most recently, a joint letter from the Permanent Representatives of Denmark, Germany and Sweden to the President of the Security Council, dated 22 August 2025, transmitted further information and updates regarding the investigation conducted by the German authorities.
According to this communication, the Federal Public Prosecutor General of Germany “continues to conduct criminal investigations on the sabotage against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines”. It notes that “these investigations are conducted impartially, independently and in line with fundamental principles of the rule of law. They are ongoing.”
The information provided further notes that as part of this investigation, the Federal Public Prosecutor General of Germany has announced that a Ukrainian national was arrested in Italy on 21 August 2025, based on a European arrest warrant requested by the German authorities.
The United Nations is not in a position to comment on the ongoing investigations or legal proceedings.
Mr. President,
As we stated in our previous briefings on this topic, any intentional damage to critical civilian infrastructure is of serious concern. Such incidents should be condemned and investigated.
The protection of civilian infrastructure and security of international waters is critical for regional commerce, security, and stability. We continue to encourage Member States to further cooperate on these matters and to share information with each other.
In the current volatile security environment, we also urge not to politicize or speculate about any findings or developments related to ongoing investigation efforts. Instead, cooperation, trust and dialogue among all concerned is of utmost importance.
Thank you.
The killing of five more Palestinian journalists in Gaza by Israeli forces – bringing the total killed overall to 247 since the war began – should shock the world into action, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza following two deadly Israeli air strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the southern Strip on Monday.
One of the many ugly consequences of wars and conflict is injuries leading to a loss of limbs. Gaza, which now has the highest number of child amputees per capita anywhere in the world, is no exception.
More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday.
US and Qatari diplomatic efforts to bring a lasting peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have not yet led to improved conditions on the ground, where the security situation remains dire, the UN Security Council heard on Friday.
Recent elections in Libya are a sure sign of the people’s desire to choose their own representatives, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the country said in the Security Council on Thursday.
Israeli airstrikes and shootings near aid hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US and Israel-backed initiative, have seen a dramatic increase in deaths and injuries leading to amputations, compounding the suffering of Palestinians struggling to stave off malnutrition and starvation as the conflict continues.
Terror attack survivors came together to bear witness at UN Headquarters on Thursday, emphasising that their voices must not be sidelined in shaping policy and driving efforts to prevent future atrocities.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria briefed the Security Council on Thursday, saying that amid a strained ceasefire and military skirmishes in Syria, the political transition “remains on a knife’s edge”.
With intensifying Israeli activity in and around Gaza City reportedly continuing on Thursday, UN chief António Guterres renewed his urgent call for a ceasefire, as Palestinians fled intense airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfire.
The threat posed by the terrorist group ISIL – known more widely in the Middle East as Da’esh – remains dynamic and diverse, with Africa currently experiencing the highest level of activity worldwide.
In recent days, reported attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan’s Darfur State have forced some humanitarian groups to stop providing critical cholera services as the outbreak continues to spread.
Photo by: OSESGY/Abdel Rahman Alzorgan
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