On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, United Nations officials reflected on the immense human cost of the conflict, appealing to the world to “never get used to war”. The invasion on February 24, 2022, shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, said Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, on Tuesday.
“Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another world because generations like mine have always had the privilege to live a life in peace,” she told journalists in Geneva. “But this changed four years ago with the full invasion [by] Russia, of the neighboring country of Ukraine.”
Marking four years to the day since Russian tanks headed for Kyiv, the senior UN official condemned the ongoing deadly conflict that has killed thousands, including civilians unable to reach bomb shelters in time. Calling on the international community to “work every day for peace,” Baerbock reiterated the need for an “immediate, full and unconditional cease-fire.”
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed or injured. War-related humanitarian needs have intensified. An estimated 10.8 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance this year. Some 10 million people have been forced to flee, with nearly 4 million internally displaced and at least 5.9 million living as refugees worldwide.
“This war needs to finally end […] Any peace agreement must be grounded in the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” said Baerbock, stressing that this meant respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine.
Her comments came ahead of an emergency special session of the General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, during which the draft resolution “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine” was adopted by a recorded vote of 107 in favor, 12 against and 51 abstentions.
The resolution passed by the General Assembly calls for a ceasefire and a just and lasting peace in line with international law. It also calls for a number of confidence-building measures, such as the complete exchange of prisoners of war and the release of all unlawfully detained persons, as well as the return of all internees and civilians who have been forcibly transferred or deported, including children.
Speaking from Kyiv, Matthias Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, said that 2025 had been the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. At least 2,500 civilians were killed and over 12,000 were injured last year, which is a 30 percent increase compared to 2024.
He stressed the devastating impact of systematic attacks on energy infrastructure, which have disrupted electricity, heating and water supplies across the country. In some cases, entire towns have been left without an electricity or water supply for weeks.
“In Kyiv, I'm told that there are more than 3,000 high-rise buildings that are now out of order, not inhabitable for the rest of the winter, putting the most vulnerable, older people, people with limited mobility and health conditions, as well as families with children at serious risk of harm,” Schmale said.
“This kind of weaponization of energy must stop.”
Front-line areas and border regions continue to face the greatest humanitarian needs due to intensified shelling, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and ongoing disruptions to essential services. Repeated missile and drone strikes across the country continue to cause civilian casualties, damage homes, and force people to flee.
As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, more Ukrainians are being killed, wounded and traumatized by the violence. The civilian infrastructure on which they depend continues to be destroyed or damaged.
The conflict’s devastating impact on civilians is further exacerbated by severe and widespread attacks on healthcare in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.
Over the past four years, WHO has verified more than 2,880 attacks on healthcare facilities, ambulances, and medical warehouses, resulting in 233 deaths and 943 injuries among healthcare workers and patients.
On Tuesday in Geneva, Philippe Leclerc, the Regional Director for Europe and Refugee Regional Coordinator for Ukraine at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that, due to the ongoing war, 5.9 million refugees remain outside Ukraine, with 5.7 million of those in Europe.
However, the actual number of displaced Ukrainians may be much higher, since UNHCR’s refugee figures primarily cover those registered in Europe and other host countries, while many Ukrainians in Russia are recorded under different legal categories and are not fully reflected in UNHCR’s refugee statistics.
Leclerc said that the displacement continues and that the number of people who have had to be evacuated from areas close to the front lines has grown tremendously in the last six months due to military attacks and the extreme cold winter.
While extraordinary solidarity continues to be shown to Ukrainians by European Union countries providing temporary protection, Leclerc said that, “Ukrainians are looking at the future, at the recovery of their state, of their oblast [region], of their economy and for that, they will need the refugees.”
Despite four years of war and continuing uncertainty, more than 60 percent of refugees surveyed by UNHCR are considering a return.
Addressing the challenges of the reconstruction and recovery process, Schmale stated that up to one million veterans need to be reintegrated into Ukrainian society, many of whom have sustained permanent injuries, including amputations.
He also stressed that Ukraine is "among the most mined countries in the world," with almost a quarter of its territory potentially contaminated by landmines.
Referring to a “rapid damage and needs report” launched on Monday by the UN in conjunction with the Ukrainian government, the World Bank and the European Union, Schmale said that the estimated costs of recovery are “a staggering $590 billion over a 10-year horizon, which amounts to three times Ukraine's GDP [gross domestic product] last year.”
However, this kind of report fails to capture the destruction of people's lives, souls and mental well-being, Schmale said.
“Recovery must be human-centered and community-based,” he added.