United Nations official has called for an immediate halt to hostilities in Ukraine, warning that the latest wave of Russian missile and drone strikes has killed dozens and left hundreds wounded, including children and pregnant women.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Friday, Miroslav Jenča ,Assistant Secretary-General for Europe in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA),said Ukrainian civilians continue to suffer the consequences of widespread violence and urged the international community to push for renewed diplomatic negotiations.
“Ukrainian people have endured nearly three and a half years of unimaginable horrors,” Assistant Secretary-General for Europe in the (DPPA) Jenča told diplomats. “They urgently need relief from this nightmare. It is time to escalate diplomacy not fighting.”
Between July 30 and 31, a large-scale Russian aerial bombardment on Kyiv killed at least 31 people and injured 159, including 16 children, according to verified figures presented to the Council. The strikes hit four districts in the capital, damaging homes, schools, a pediatric hospital, and a university building. A section of one apartment block collapsed, trapping residents under burning debris.
The attacks extended far beyond Kyiv. Strikes hit at least seven other regions, including Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy. The UN confirmed at least 120 civilian casualties in a single night across these areas.
In Kamianske, a hospital was struck, killing three people including a pregnant woman and injuring 22 others, mostly medical workers. In Novoplatonivka, Kharkiv region, six people waiting for food aid were killed in an explosion. Additional casualties were reported in Sumy and Kherson.
“These continuing horrendous attacks are simply unacceptable,” Assistant Secretary-General for Europe in the (DPPA), Jenča said.
UN agencies and humanitarian partners responded quickly by distributing shelter materials, offering psychosocial support, and providing legal aid to displaced families. Still, the scale of destruction has overwhelmed emergency services.
The UN Human Rights Office reports that more than 13,580 civilians including 716 children have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Over 34,000 people have been injured.
According to Jenča, recent strikes show a clear pattern of civilian infrastructure being targeted in densely populated areas. “Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately wherever they occur,” he said.
The official also acknowledged reports from Russian authorities claiming attacks inside their own territory between July 25 and 29, including in Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Leningrad, and Rostov. At least six people were reported dead, though the UN has not independently verified these cases.
New accounts of mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war have added to the growing list of war crime allegations. According to the UN, nearly all of 140 recently released Ukrainian male POWs reported torture and abuse while in Russian custody. The reported methods included beatings, electric shocks, and suffocation.
The UN human rights office also documented 106 credible cases of Ukrainian soldiers being executed after capture.
“These reports must be taken seriously and investigated. The rules of war are not optional,” Jenča stated.
As the humanitarian situation worsens and the civilian toll continues to mount, the UN has restated its commitment to supporting efforts toward a negotiated and lasting peace that respects international law and the UN Charter.
“The world cannot turn away,” Jenča said. “Peace is possible but only through dialogue, not destruction.”
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