Kayoko Gotoh (DPPA-DPO) on the situation in Ukraine…

Mr. President,
Since we last briefed this Council on 9 July, more than 170 civilians have reportedlybeen killed and 1,028 injured across Ukraine as a result of intensified aerial attacks by theRussian Federation.Residential buildings, playgrounds, gas stations, markets, and logistical warehouseshave been hit.Kyiv has remained under constant bombardment.Just yesterday, the eighth major missile strike on the city this month, struck aresidential building. Three people were reported injured.In July alone, at least 56 civilians have reportedly been killed and 232 injured in Kyiv.Daily attacks are also being reported in frontline communities in the Donetsk,Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, with many
civilians killed by so-called guided aerial bombs with greater capability for accurate long-distance targeting.
In one such attack, on 24 July, at least six people were reportedly killed and nineothers injured after guided aerial bombs struck the city of Sloviansk. Residential buildings,businesses and the Honorary Consulate of Latvia were damaged.Earlier, on 11 July, guided aerial bombs struck residential areas in Sumy, killing fivecivilians, including a girl, and injuring 41 others, including children.In recent weeks, the Odesa region has been particularly heavily affected by repeateddeadly strikes.OHCHR has verified that, just this month, the Odesa region suffered at least 26civilian deaths and 92 injuries.In total, since the start of the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion, OHCHR hasverified that at least 16,431 civilians, including 803 children, have been killed in Ukraine.48,613 more, including 2,960 children, have been injured. These figures account only forverified casualties. Actual figures are likely higher.

Mr. President,As we reported in our last briefing, the summertime escalation has had anincreasingly destructive impact on the areas of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the RussianFederation.On Saturday, occupying authorities reported that 12 people, including five children,were killed in a drone attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine'sZaporizhzhia region.In the Russian-occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,Ukrainian drone strikes on electrical substations have reportedly led to prolonged power andwater outages across the peninsula.Inside the Russian Federation, local authorities continue to report increasing numbersof civilian casualties following Ukrainian strikes on oil and other industrial infrastructure inmultiple regions, including most recently in Belgorod. They also report that commercialbuildings and warehouses are increasingly targeted, with deadly consequences for civilians.On 24 July, in the Kirov region, northeast of Moscow, at least six people werereportedly killed and more than two dozen others injured following attacks on industrial andlogistical centres.On 18 July, Ukrainian drones reportedly hit large online retail warehouses in Tambovand Moscow regions, killing eight people and injuring more than 60 others. Similar attackshave been reported almost daily since then.In the first half of this year, OHCHR has recorded reports by local authorities of 1,846civilian casualties - 250 killed and 1,596 injured - in the Russian Federation. This represents a121 per cent increase, compared with the same period in 2025.Mr. President,International humanitarian law clearly prohibits attacks on civilians and civilianinfrastructure.As we repeatedly and consistently stressed in all our briefings, these attacks areunacceptable, inexcusable and must stop now.The United Nations continues to unequivocally condemn such attacks - wherever theyoccur.Mr. President,For well over four years, the war in Ukraine has disrupted global energy and foodsupplies.As Ukraine has entered a new harvest season, the escalation of Russian attacks onports and cargo ships in recent weeks raises renewed alarm about the wider regional andglobal impacts of this war.The Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, Izmail and Mykolaiv havebeen subjected to renewed, systematic attacks by the Russian Federation.
In the Odesa region, more than half a dozen attacks on civilian vessels were reportedthis month, reportedly killing or injuring 44 crew members.Many of the ships impacted by the strikes have been under third-country flags andcarrying food products.In one of the deadliest such attacks, on 20 July, Russian missiles reportedly struck aGuinea-Bissau-flagged ship near the port of Odesa, killing 10 people. The ship was carryinggrain and its crew consisted of Indian and Syrian nationals.Earlier, on 13 July, another Russian strike reportedly hit a Togolese-flagged vesselunloading mineral fertilizers at the port of Odesa, killing five people, including three crewmembers, and injuring 10.In addition to attacks on ports and civilian ships, the Russian Federation has alsointensified attacks on Ukraine's food industry infrastructure, agricultural equipment andfields, destroying crops ready for harvest and export.Four out of the thirteen major grain terminals in the Odesa region ports havereportedly suspended their grain purchases due to threat of attacks..At the same time, Ukraine has expanded attacks against Russian and Russia-linkedmaritime logistics, including oil tankers. More than 100 vessels have reportedly been struckin the Sea of Azov in July, prompting restrictions on navigation in the Sea of Azov.
The consequences of this latest escalation are already visible in global agriculturalmarkets. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD), wheat prices have climbed 20 per cent from the beginning of the month and areat their highest since March 2024.Further disruptions in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as in other criticalareas, could drive up freight, insurance, food and energy costs, with grave consequences forvulnerable and import-dependent developing countries.We urge maximum restraint against actions that endanger civilian maritimenavigation.Mr. President,On 15 July, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that theZaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) experienced its 22nd complete loss of off-sitepower since the start of the war.Ten such incidents have occurred in the past three months alone, underscoring thedeteriorating reliability of the electrical grid necessary for safe operations of the largestNuclear Power Plant in Europe.IAEA has also expressed concern over several drone attacks in the nearby town ofEnerhodar, under the temporary occupation of the Russian Federation, where many of thePlant's staff reside. The persistent physical danger adds to the extremely difficult
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circumstances under which they continue to work tirelessly to safeguard the Plant'soperation.As we have reiterated in our previous briefings, any military actions endangering thesafety and security of nuclear plants are unconscionable and irresponsible.We urge maximum restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident.Mr. President,As hostilities continue to intensify, their devastating toll on civilians andinfrastructure critical to civilian lives, and their far-reaching impact on global food security,underscore, once again, the urgent need for renewed diplomatic efforts.We must not allow this dangerous escalatory spiral to continue.
We urge all concerned to resume dialogue and inclusive negotiations aimed at de-escalation and at securing an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire.
This would serve as a crucial and necessary step towards a just, lasting, andcomprehensive peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant UNresolutions.The United Nations continues to stand ready to make available its tools and expertisein support of all meaningful efforts to this end.Thank you.