Ukraine War ‘Deadlier by the Day’, Security Council Hears, amid Calls for Ceasefire and Protection of Civilians
Following one of the largest aerial attacks against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, United Nations officials warned the Security Council today that civilian casualties are rising sharply, humanitarian operations are coming under direct attack and only renewed diplomacy and a full ceasefire can halt the worsening toll.
The war in Ukraine is “becoming deadlier by the day”, said Kayoko Gotoh, Director and Officer-in-Charge for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations.
Between 13 and 14 May, Moscow reportedly launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, she described, noting that the deadliest incident occurred on the latter day when a missile reportedly flattened a nine-story apartment in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi District. That killed 24 people, including three girls aged 12, 15 and 17, and injured at least 48 others.
“We strongly condemn all attacks against civilians,” she stressed. In April alone, she continued, at least 238 civilians were killed and 1,404 injured — the highest monthly toll since July 2025. She further expressed alarm over two drone-related incidents involving clearly marked United Nations vehicles in Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk, stressing that “civilians — including humanitarian relief personnel — as well as civilian objects must be protected at all times”.
While the Secretary-General welcomed the 9 to 11 May ceasefire and the agreed exchange of 2,000 prisoners of war — with 205 already returned — she expressed regret over reported violations on both sides. She urged the parties to move towards a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, stressing that dialogue grounded in international law remains the only way to achieve lasting peace.
“The rules of war are binding on all parties to armed conflict and aim to limit human suffering and spare those who are not fighting,” said Edem Wosornu, Director of the Crisis Response Division in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who also briefed the Council this morning.
‘Brazen’ Attacks on UN Convoys, Intensifying Strikes Complicating Humanitarian Response
About the two separate UN aid convoys — both clearly marked — coming under repeated attack, she said: “These brazen incidents are not isolated.” She noted that a World Food Programme (WFP) truck was struck in Dnipro on 12 May and a World Central Kitchen van delivering meals to civilians was hit on 14 May, alongside attacks on other non-governmental aid groups. “These attacks are intensifying, making the delivery of humanitarian assistance increasingly difficult — if not impossible — in some areas,” she reported.
Stressing that humanitarian workers in Ukraine shoulder immense risks to save lives, she warned that the cheap, deadly weapons now being deployed to attack them “are rapidly changing what it means to deliver life-saving assistance”. Short-range drones also killed more civilians in April than in any month since February 2022. Demanding that all parties respect aid workers and civilians, she nevertheless pledged to continue to deliver aid wherever access allows.
“Humanitarian needs continue to grow even as diplomatic efforts continue,” she said. The UN is reaching only a fraction of the 10.8 million people who need help, and nearly three quarters of the $2.3 billion needed remain unfunded. In that context, the Council should ensure that donors provide timely funding and demand that the parties protect civilians. “Use your influence to ensure that international humanitarian law is respected,” she urged.
Speakers Condemn Russian Federation Attacks on Civilians
In the discussion that followed, many speakers condemned the Russian Federation’s attacks on civilians and UN personnel, calling for accountability. Latvia’s delegate described the 13-14 May strikes as the Russian Federation’s “largest attack yet against Ukrainian civilians and children”, while France’s speaker said the Council “cannot resign itself to accepting temporary ceasefires used by Moscow “at its convenience”. Denmark’s representative said that the attack on a clearly marked UN aid convoy “was not a mistake”, while the United Kingdom said that Moscow is “lashing out in desperation”.
“Every day of Russia continuing this war is a road to nowhere,” added the representative of Poland, stressing that the only root cause is “Russian imperialism”. He said that further pressure, including sanctions and sustained support to Ukraine, remains the most effective way to shape Moscow’s position in future peace negotiations.
On the humanitarian front, speakers also stressed that protecting civilians, humanitarian personnel and civilian infrastructure must remain central to the Council’s response. Greece’s delegate noted that Ukrainian civilians have faced “unimaginable horrors” for the past four years, while the speaker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo stressed that protecting civilians must be an “immediate and tangible” obligation. The representative of Estonia — also speaking for Latvia and Lithuania — added that, even during its declared truce, the Russian Federation carried out more than 140 frontline attacks and launched 850 drones.
For their part, Panama’s representative expressed concern over the war’s severe toll on women and children, Colombia’s delegate voiced regret that children are among the victims, Pakistan’s speaker recalled that protecting civilians is a “fundamental legal obligation” and Romania’s delegate underscored that returning forcibly transported Ukrainian children is crucial for peace.
Others Urge Diplomacy amid Deadlock
On diplomacy and ceasefire efforts, several speakers urged the parties to build on recent openings, including temporary pauses, prisoner exchanges and United States-led mediation.
“President [Donald] Trump wants to see this war end,” said the representative of the United States, urging the parties to negotiate in good faith and end the senseless violence. “The mounting economic and human cost is unacceptable,” she stressed. She also pointed to her country’s $25 million programme to help return Ukrainian children forcibly taken from the country and said that Washington, D.C., remains committed to Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“This conflict is entering a phase where escalation risks becoming self-sustaining,” said Liberia’s delegate, warning of a “self-reinforcing escalation loop that sidelines diplomacy”. The representative of China — Council President for May — spoke in his national capacity to observe: “As the Ukraine crisis persists, the battlefield remains fiercely deadlocked, with escalated spillover effects profoundly impacting the international landscape.” Peace talks “cannot succeed overnight”, he added; rather, they require political will and a rejection of “cold war mentality”.
Somalia’s delegate, welcoming recent trilateral talks involving the United States, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, said that these engagements are vital steps towards de-escalation. Bahrain’s delegate echoed support for these mediation efforts, as well as those of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar that led to the release of prisoners.
Ukraine Urges Council to Adopt Ceasefire Text, Russian Federation Says UN ‘Completely Helpless’
For his part, Ukraine’s representative thanked the briefers for, once again, providing clear evidence of the crimes being repeatedly committed by the Russian Federation in his country. Warning that country’s delegate against shedding “crocodile tears” in an attempt to squeeze sympathy from the Council, he demanded: “Just stop lying.”
“The scale of Russia’s terror continues to increase,” he went on to say, adding that the “staggering” number of victims — “the kind that should make one’s hair stand on end” — has failed to provoke an adequate response from the Council. UN Member States, he urged, must promptly enhance their sanctions against Moscow and restrict all deliveries of weapon components to the Russian Federation.
He also echoed the briefers in condemning attacks on UN and other aid workers, as well as the ongoing food, aid and energy blockade of the Kherson region. In that context, he called on the Council to “table a resolution on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners of war on an ‘all for all’ basis, as well as the return of all deported Ukrainian children and deported Ukrainian civilians”.
Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation said that diplomacy with Ukraine has stalled, with “no signals from Kyiv” and a negotiation process at a dead end. He placed responsibility on Ukraine’s leadership, calling on its President to “give the order to cease fire” and proceed to the discussion of a “genuinely comprehensive, just and sustainable peace”. Until then, he warned, “achieving the goals of the special military operation will be done by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”.
He further stressed that Kyiv’s Western supporters “do everything to escalate the conflict” and described the UN as “completely helpless” having taken a biased position against his country. He also accused Ukraine of repeated ceasefire violations, asserting that its Armed Forces violated the 9-11 May ceasefire “more than 30,000 times”. He concluded that “the collective West” bears full responsibility for the conflict and for the lives of all those affected.
European Speakers Stress Moscow, Not Kyiv, Violating International Law
However, the representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, rejected accusations that the bloc is prolonging the conflict and stressed that Europe stands firmly in defence of international law as Moscow “doubles down on its colonial goal of subjugating Ukraine”.
Iceland’s delegate, also speaking for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, similarly stated that Ukraine continues to pursue peace while exercising its inherent right to self-defence under the Charter of the United Nations. The Russian Federation, on the other hand, continues to violate that document through its illegal assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another UN Member State, she stressed.