War in Ukraine at Deadliest Point in Four Years, UN Officials Warn Security Council, as Speakers Urge Immediate Ceasefire, Return to Diplomacy
The war in Ukraine is deadlier today than at any point since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, top UN officials warned the Security Council today, as Council members repeatedly stressed “enough is enough” and pleaded for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.
“Appallingly, the last few months have seen some of the most extensive aerial attacks of the war,” Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the 15-member Council as it met for the fifth time in three weeks on developments related to Ukraine or the spillover effects of the war.
Just hours after the last Council briefing on Ukraine, on 1 June, the Russian Federation launched one of its biggest missile and drone bombardments across Ukraine. “Kyiv was heavily hit,” she said, adding that, according to local authorities, 7 people were killed and 89 injured. In Dnipro, missile strikes reportedly hit a residential area killing 16 people, including 2 children. Civilian casualties and extensive damage were also reported in Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv regions.
Deadly incidents have also been reported in areas currently under the control of the Russian Federation, Ms. DiCarlo stated. On 3 June, eight people were reportedly killed when a drone struck a bus in Donetsk region, and on 4 June, in occupied Crimea, three people were reportedly killed in a drone strike, according to Russian Federation occupying authorities.
Further, she condemned attacks on nuclear facilities, welcomed the recent exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and urged the immediate return of all forcibly transferred Ukrainian children. Reiterating the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate ceasefire, she stressed that peace must be consistent with the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.
“The past week has brought another surge in civilian casualties and suffering,” stated Indrika Ratwatte, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, via video link. At least 30 civilians were reported killed and over 200 injured across Ukraine between 5 June and the early hours of today in “one of the most significant attacks on the capital since February 2022”.
Underscoring that these attacks are “unacceptable”, he said that international rules obliging civilian protection “exist to limit suffering and preserve dignity precisely when there is war”. “They must be respected,” he said reiterating that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is ready to work with both parties to help front-line civilians receive aid.
Straightforward Requests to Help Millions in Need of Aid, End War
“Today, 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance. Yet, we have received less than half the funding needed to reach them,” he said, stressing: “My asks to this Council are straightforward.” He called on the Council to use its influence to reverse the erosion of civilian protection and to help preserve and expand humanitarian operations to reach civilians in need “wherever they are”.
Noting that Ukraine “remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises”, he urged Council members to ensure that humanitarian organizations have the funding needed to be present where needs are greatest. “We urge all those with influence: please, use it,” he concluded.War in Ukraine at Deadliest Point in four years, UN Officials Warn Security Council, as Speakers Urge Immediate Ceasefire, Return to Diplomacy
The war in Ukraine is deadlier today than at any point since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, top UN officials warned the Security Council today, as Council members repeatedly stressed “enough is enough” and pleaded for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.
“Appallingly, the last few months have seen some of the most extensive aerial attacks of the war,” Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the 15-member Council as it met for the fifth time in three weeks on developments related to Ukraine or the spillover effects of the war.
Just hours after the last Council briefing on Ukraine, on 1 June, the Russian Federation launched one of its biggest missile and drone bombardments across Ukraine. “Kyiv was heavily hit,” she said, adding that, according to local authorities, 7 people were killed and 89 injured. In Dnipro, missile strikes reportedly hit a residential area killing 16 people, including 2 children. Civilian casualties and extensive damage were also reported in Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv regions.
Deadly incidents have also been reported in areas currently under the control of the Russian Federation, Ms. DiCarlo stated. On 3 June, eight people were reportedly killed when a drone struck a bus in Donetsk region, and on 4 June, in occupied Crimea, three people were reportedly killed in a drone strike, according to Russian Federation occupying authorities.
Further, she condemned attacks on nuclear facilities, welcomed the recent exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and urged the immediate return of all forcibly transferred Ukrainian children. Reiterating the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate ceasefire, she stressed that peace must be consistent with the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.
“The past week has brought another surge in civilian casualties and suffering,” stated Indrika Ratwatte, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, via video link. At least 30 civilians were reported killed and over 200 injured across Ukraine between 5 June and the early hours of today in “one of the most significant attacks on the capital since February 2022”.
Underscoring that these attacks are “unacceptable”, he said that international rules obliging civilian protection “exist to limit suffering and preserve dignity precisely when there is war”. “They must be respected,” he said reiterating that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is ready to work with both parties to help front-line civilians receive aid.
Straightforward Requests to Help Millions in Need of Aid, End War
“Today, 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance. Yet, we have received less than half the funding needed to reach them,” he said, stressing: “My asks to this Council are straightforward.” He called on the Council to use its influence to reverse the erosion of civilian protection and to help preserve and expand humanitarian operations to reach civilians in need “wherever they are”.
Noting that Ukraine “remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises”, he urged Council members to ensure that humanitarian organizations have the funding needed to be present where needs are greatest. “We urge all those with influence: please, use it,” he concluded.
Moscow Cannot Win; Condemnation of Its Continued Deadly Attacks on Civilians
In the ensuing discussion, speakers condemned the Russian Federation’s continued attacks against Ukraine, voiced concern over civilian casualties and threats to nuclear safety and called for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.
Latvia’s representative said that “Russia is unable to sustain recruitment at a level sufficient to replace its casualties”, adding that Moscow’s war economy is systemically degrading, inflation is vastly underreported and a banking crisis is looming. “Russia has no military path to victory,” added Denmark’s delegate. France’s speaker, noting that the Council was meeting for the fifth time in 20 days over Moscow’s continued attacks, reaffirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine. “Russia will not win,” he stressed.
Greece’s delegate expressed concern over “the severe nature of these attacks, including double-tap strikes, which cause casualties also among emergency workers”. Her counterpart from Panama stressed that the growing acceptance of civilian casualties as an inevitable consequence of hostilities is a “trend that cannot be normalized”. The representative of Colombia, Council President for June, speaking in her national capacity, spotlighted the “increasingly concerning trend” of the use of long-range attacks against urban centres.
Liberia’s speaker underscored that the conflict’s wider effects on food security and energy markets is felt “acutely” across Africa, while the speaker for the Democratic Republic of the Congo cautioned that the use of advanced technology in conflict “pushes away the prospect of peace”.
Support for Ukrainian President’s Call for Full Ceasefire, Dialogue
Several delegates welcomed the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call last week for a full ceasefire and diplomatic end to the war, with the representative of the United Kingdom urging: “Enough is enough, a comprehensive ceasefire is long overdue”.
Stressing that “Moscow cannot achieve its goals on the battlefield”, the United States’ representative urged Member States to cease support for Moscow’s war efforts, including Iran and Cuba who provide weapons and mercenaries, respectively.
Bahrain’s representative emphasized the importance of resuming talks between the United States, the Russian Federation and Ukraine “in a spirit of responsibility and serious political will”. “Dialogue and diplomacy remain the sole viable means to bring this crisis to an end,” added Somalia’s speaker.
Noting statements by the leaders of the conflicting parties on the resumption of talks, China’s speaker expressed hope that they will “put their peoples first”. Pakistan’s speaker agreed, pointing to the “fundamental need” for the parties to agree to a cessation of hostilities.
“President Putin, the path to peace is clear: End this war now,” said Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, speaking on behalf of the Nordic countries. “The Nordic countries want peaceful relations with Russia, but peace cannot be built on aggression,” she added. The representative of Germany, noting the immediate refusal of the Ukrainian President’s open letter suggesting a face-to-face meeting to end the war, asked: “How can one defend choosing aggression over diplomacy?”
Lack of Empathy for Casualties
“We often hear Russia in this Chamber complain about an alleged lack of empathy for Russian casualties,” said Stavros Lambrinidis, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations. “But, where is the Kremlin’s empathy for the estimated 1,000 Russian soldiers it sends to injury and death every single day?”, he asked.
Poland’s delegate said that his delegation was “particularly appalled” by recent remarks by the Russian Federation President that the recent use of the Oreshnik missile was a “test”. “It speaks volumes that the President of the Russian Federation — a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council — views attacking urban areas and killing and injuring civilians as an experiment,” he said. The representative of Lithuania, also speaking for Estonia and Latvia, stated that inaction in the face of this “risks sending a dangerous message that deliberate attacks against civilians can be carried out without consequences”.
Moscow, Kyiv Trade Accusations
Addressing Ukraine’s “European sponsors”, the representative of the Russian Federation asked: “Aren’t you, yourselves, tired of hearing and saying the same thing?” He said that Western countries “showed, exactly a week ago, their true colours” when they accused the Russian Federation immediately following an incident in Romania. Moscow was also blamed when a sea drone exploded in the port of Constanța, he said — “not because the drone was Russian, but because it was Russia that had allegedly initially attacked Ukraine”. Further, he asked where these “European champions of international humanitarian law” were when the “Zelenskyy regime” killed and injured students in Starobilsk.
This, he stressed, is a system of politically selecting human suffering, where some victims are “declared worthy of sympathy” and others are “deliberately removed from the information space when the goal is to whitewash the Zelenskyy regime and blacken Russia”. Underscoring that his country’s armed forces “hit only military targets and facilities used in interest of the armed forces of Ukraine”, he said that civilian casualties that occur result from the “disorderly and chaotic work of the Ukraine air defence”. Additionally, on the open letter from the Ukrainian President — “a clumsy provocation” — he said: “Imitations of negotiations and performances played out in public are alien to us.”
The representative of Ukraine said that, while the script may change, the plot advanced by the representative of the Russian Federation remains the same — “to weave a web of lies, to deny the verified facts, to distort and bend the truth, to peddle fake narratives and distract from reality”. Meanwhile, since the start of June, he said that the brutality of Moscow’s attacks against civilians has, once again, set a “grim new record”. Detailing them — including a drone attack that killed two at a bus stop in Zaporizhzhia as today’s meeting began — he underscored that “no military necessity can ever justify this barbarism”.
He also noted the recent report by the Secretary-General, which contains 310 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Russian Federation forces, stressing: “Any ancient horde of barbarians was more human than today’s Russian troops.” Against this backdrop, he said that the representative of the Russian Federation is “spitting in all our faces with constant lies while we, too politely, pretend that it is just falling rain”. And noting his President’s 4 June open letter that proposed a concrete path forward — a meeting of the two leaders on neutral territory — he said: “What we heard in response from Mr. Putin was ‘нет’ [no]; again and again, ‘нет’.”