UN Under-Secretary-General: There is an existential threat to the people of Ukraine

The escalation of the war in Ukraine poses a direct threat to regional stability and international security, with the people of Ukraine facing an existential threat. Over the past month, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities have become a daily destructive pattern.

This was stated by UN Under-Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča.

He emphasized that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law, continues to cause great damage to the people of Ukraine. Jenča highlighted the intense and systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russian forces.

Jenča also provided alarming statistics, reporting at least 126 civilian deaths and 478 wounded in March alone, representing a 20% increase compared to the previous month. He noted that 57 children were killed or injured during March, along with the destruction or damage of 12 medical facilities and 32 educational institutions.

Since February 2022, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented 10,810 civilian deaths, including 600 children, and 20,556 injured civilians, including 1,357 children.

«This is unacceptable. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. They must stop immediately, and we continue to condemn them wherever they occur», — stated the UN representative.

The UN reiterated its call for Russia to grant access to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and independent observers to the occupied territories of Ukraine, emphasized Jenča.

Edem Vosornu, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, emphasized that Ukraine is currently enduring «the worst attacks since the beginning of this war«, with ten million people across the country displaced from their homes.

Recently, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that Russian strikes on Ukraine in March caused a 20% increase in civilian casualties compared to February.