Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe,
Central Asia and the Americas, was speaking a day after the
latest wave of Russian airstrikes across the country, with
at least 23 people killed in the capital, Kyiv.
“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,” he said.
Young lives
lost
According to Ukrainian officials, Russia
launched 598 drones and 31 missiles across Ukraine overnight
between 27 and 28 August.
Four children aged between
two and 17 were among those killed in Kyiv and 64 people
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,” he said.
Civilian casualties also were
reported in five other regions – Chernihiv, Kharkiv,
Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson – and a train depot in
Vinnytsia region was reportedly hit.
Dangerous
escalation
Mr. Jenča said these strikes
“are only the latest in the brutal escalation of
country-wide aerial attacks.”
The
full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February
2022. In July, the UN human rights office, OHCHR,
recorded rising civilian casualties across 18 regions and
the capital.
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Last month “set a new, tragic
record for monthly casualties”, with 286 killed
and 1,388 injured – the highest number since May 2022, the
top UN official said.
The impact of the conflict has
also been felt by civilians in Russia. Local authorities
have reported casualties there, including in the border
regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk.
Russian
officials also reported that a fire broke out after a
Ukrainian drone was shot down near the Kursk Nuclear Power
Plant.
Although the UN is unable to verify these
reports, the growing impact of the conflict on
civilians in Russia is of concern, he said,
reiterating UN condemnation of attacks against civilians and
civilian infrastructure.
Winter support
“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,” he continued.
He underlined the UN’s full
commitment to supporting civilians, adding that targeted
winter support preparations are underway for 1.7 million
people, though more donor funding is urgently
needed.
Diplomatic efforts welcomed
On the
diplomatic front, he said the Secretary-General has welcomed
recent efforts led by the United States President. This
includes separate meetings this month between Donald Trump
and Vladimir Putin, in Alaska, and another between the
Presidents of the US and Ukraine and European leaders in
Washington.
The UN has also welcomed earlier rounds of
direct talks between senior Ukrainian and Russian officials
held in Istanbul between May and July, and commended
prisoner exchanges that have continued to take place as a
result.
Appeal for de-escalation
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Mr. Jenča concluded
his remarks by renewing the Secretary-General’s appeal for
a full, immediate and unconditional
ceasefire.
