In a single day, Russian armed forces reportedly launched 158 missiles and drones in a number of waves concentrating on areas throughout Ukraine, together with in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Cherkasy, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia areas.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored that assaults in opposition to civilians and civilian infrastructure “violate worldwide humanitarian regulation, are unacceptable and should finish instantly”.
He additionally prolonged his deepest condolences to the households of all of the victims and wished a speedy restoration to the injured, the assertion added.
Safety Council discusses scenario in Ukraine
Additionally on Friday, the Security Council held an pressing assembly on the scenario in Ukraine, the place members had been briefed by Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-Common on the UN Division of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
Because the Division’s final briefing to Council members on 6 December, “we now have continued to see every day experiences of assaults on Ukrainian cities and cities, together with on important civilian and power infrastructure, with many ensuing civilian casualties,” he mentioned.
Throughout the Christmas interval alone, assaults on town of Kherson reportedly killed a number of folks and wounded many others, whereas condominium buildings, a medical facility and a railway station filled with greater than 100 civilians awaiting evacuation, had been struck.
The Secretary-Common condemns within the strongest phrases the in a single day large-scale missile and drone assault by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian cities and cities throughout the nation, together with in opposition to civilian and demanding infrastructure. The assault reportedly resulted in not less than 24 civilians killed and greater than 134 injured.
Assaults in opposition to civilians should cease instantly
Mr. Khiari reiterated the UN Secretary-Common’s condemnation of the assaults on cities and cities throughout Ukraine.
“Assaults in opposition to civilians and civilian infrastructure violate worldwide humanitarian regulation, are unacceptable and should cease instantly,” he confused.
The Workplace of the UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified some 1,888 civilian deaths and an additional 6,334 accidents in 2023, bringing the entire casualties since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 to 29,113.
The precise figures are probably significantly greater.
2023 ending because it started
Mr. Khiari went on to notice that, tragically, 2023 is ending because it started – with devastating violence in opposition to the folks of Ukraine.
“As soon as once more, Ukrainians are pressured to spend the vacations in search of shelter, clearing the rubble, and burying the useless, amidst freezing temperatures,” he mentioned.
“As we glance to the New Yr within the hope of avoiding additional escalation, we recall the Secretary-Common’s attraction to all involved to do their half to assist lay the foundations for sustainable peace in Ukraine – in accordance with the UN Charter, worldwide regulation, and resolutions of the Common Meeting,” he added.
