United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure. Türk said that the "war needs to end" as the human toll on civilians and soldiers and their families is "staggering and heartbreaking."
Recent weeks have seen some of the most massive Russian airstrikes since the war began, with countrywide drone and missile attacks resuming and intensifying.
“This year has seen intense attacks along the frontline, and massive airstrikes, largely in populated areas. In some towns in frontline communities, nearly all the housing has been damaged or destroyed,” Türk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Russian forces launched the largest air attack of the war on the night of September 6, sending a total of 823 munitions, including 810 long-range drones and 13 powerful missiles, over Ukraine.”
He reported that harm to Ukrainian civilians has risen sharply, with total casualties in the first eight months of the year increasing by 40 percent compared to last year.
“In July we documented the highest number of civilian casualties in a month in more than three years,” Türk said.
“Since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, we have documented more than 50,000 Ukrainian civilians killed and injured, including more than 3,000 children.”
Between February 2022 and now, over 14,000 civilians — including hundreds of children — have been killed in Ukraine, and over 36,000 have been injured.
As these are UN-verified figures, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher. According to human rights monitors, many reports, particularly from certain locations and from the immediate aftermath of February 24 three years ago, are still being verified due to the large volume of reports or could not be verified due to a lack of access.
Attacks on civilian infrastructure and health services
Ukrainian civilians continue to endure relentless bombardment of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shelters, and critical infrastructure is being destroyed with alarming consistency. The number of Russian missiles and drones striking Ukrainian cities and towns has reached record levels.
To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 2655 attacks on health facilities and personnel in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, resulting in 223 deaths and 862 injuries. These strikes have hit hospitals, ambulances, and first responders.
Continued attacks on critical infrastructure, including power stations, gas facilities, bridges, and railways, disrupt daily life and essential services. Vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, are the hardest hit by attacks on infrastructure that civilians depend on. The onset of winter will only worsen their living conditions.
Russia has reported much lower levels of civilian casualties resulting from alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, but the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has not been able to verify these figures.
Severe violations of international human rights and humanitarian law
Meanwhile, Russia has detained large numbers of both Ukrainian civilians and military personnel.
“The report we issued last week lays bare the violations of international law inflicted on civilian detainees. In many cases, people living in occupied territory have been arbitrarily seized from the street and held for weeks, months, or even years,” Türk said.
“In a significant number of cases, these detentions may amount to enforced disappearances.”
OHCHR has recorded 90 extrajudicial executions of Ukrainian civilians detained by Russian authorities, and has documented 38 deaths in custody, resulting from torture, lack of medical care or poor conditions.
“We also documented patterns of widespread, systematic torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, against Ukrainian civilian detainees. My staff had already recorded these same violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war,” the High Commissioner said.
The UN Human Rights Office report states that amendments to the laws of the Russian Federation have entrenched impunity for military personnel, enabling extrajudicial executions, torture, and mistreatment to go unpunished.
Cases of Ukrainian authorities torturing and mistreating detainees connected to the conflict were also recorded, including cases of sexual violence. Many of these cases occurred in 2022.
The High Commissioner noted that while Ukrainian authorities had taken steps to strengthen safeguards and improve detention conditions, there was limited accountability.
“The Russian authorities continue to perpetrate widespread and systematic violations of human rights against Ukrainian civilians in the territory they occupy in the south and east of the country,” he said.
“Residents face increasing pressure to obtain Russian citizenship to access basic services, or risk intimidation, deportation, and the confiscation of their property.”
The Russian occupying authorities have imposed their own curriculum on schools and introduced patriotic and military education. Surveillance and censorship have intensified, including on messaging apps and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), putting civilians and human rights defenders at even greater risk — practices that reflect a deliberate effort to suppress dissent and Ukrainian identity.
The UN Human Rights Office, including the monitoring team in Ukraine, is closely following these developments, gathering evidence, and documenting alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
For the report, OHCHR staff conducted over 400 interviews in 17 places of detention across all regions controlled by Ukraine. For cases from territory currently occupied by Russia, UN human rights staff conducted 216 interviews with released detainees.
“I call on the Russian Federation to halt all extrajudicial executions, torture, mistreatment and sexual violence against civilian detainees and prisoners of war, and to end all arbitrary and unlawful detention practices,” Türk said.
The High Commissioner also urged Russia to respect international law in territories under its control and ensure effective oversight of all places of detention. He called for Russia to grant full access to independent monitors in locations where Ukrainian civilian detainees are held.
Urgent call for peace
Turk urged Ukraine to respect its international legal obligations in the treatment of detainees by protecting them from torture, mistreatment, and sexual violence. He called on all parties to promptly and independently investigate all allegations of violations and ensure accountability for the perpetrators.
“This war needs to end. The human toll on civilians, and on soldiers and their families, is staggering and heartbreaking,” Türk said.
“Recent reports that Russian military drones have been seen in countries neighboring Ukraine remind us of the dangers this war poses across the region and beyond.”
He stressed that, as the violence continues, the risks of escalation and expansion grow every day. All negotiations and peace initiatives need to prioritize the protection of civilians and uphold the dignity and rights of all, Türk added.
Attacks across the country continue as cold weather arrives
On Saturday, one person was killed and at least 30 others, including children, were reportedly injured in two Russian drone strikes on a railway station in Shostka, a city in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region. According to Ukrainian authorities, the attacks targeted two passenger trains.
On Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that continued attacks across the country have struck large urban centers and damaged critical civilian infrastructure over the past days, disrupting the power supply as cold weather arrives.
Over the past weekend, several parts of the country came under massive attacks, resulting in multiple civilian casualties, including several children and widespread destruction.
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 90 civilian casualties were reported nationwide between Tuesday and Thursday. Dnipro City, one of Ukraine’s most populous cities, was attacked on Tuesday afternoon.
Several regions, particularly Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Sumy in the north and northeast, experienced power outages, reportedly impacting nearly 300,000 people. Furthermore, Ukrainian authorities reported a temporary disruption of the power supply critical for maintaining the non-functional Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in the Kyiv region.
In the Odesa region, continued attacks were aggravated by heavy rains on Tuesday, resulting in widespread flooding that killed ten people and caused extensive damage, according to authorities.
Humanitarian needs are increasing as attacks surge
Attacks on civilian infrastructure continue to devastate lives and communities, creating critical humanitarian needs throughout Ukraine. In 2025, an estimated 12.7 million people in Ukraine, primarily women, children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities, require humanitarian assistance.
In the first half of 2025, aid agencies provided at least one form of humanitarian aid to 2.4 million people across Ukraine — about 40 percent of the 6 million people the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) was designed to assist this year.
According to OCHA, the sharp increase in attacks in recent months has triggered additional needs and new displacement, putting further pressure on an already strained response, especially as winter approaches.
The Ukraine HRP seeks a total of US$2.63 billion in funding. As of today, the Plan is 41 percent funded, having received $1.08 billion. Amid the global crisis in humanitarian funding, Ukraine is one of the top-funded UN country appeals worldwide.
In line with the humanitarian reset policy triggered by the worldwide funding crisis, the HRP has been prioritized to identify those in the most urgent need of assistance and the most critical responses to mobilize. The prioritized plan urgently seeks to mobilize $1.75 billion.
Despite ongoing international discussions about ceasefire negotiations, the situation in Ukraine remains extremely volatile. The daily threat of shelling and airstrikes poses a constant danger to lives. Ukrainians continue to be killed, wounded, and deeply traumatized by the violence.
Civilians are particularly vulnerable to relentless Russian attacks, especially along the eastern and southern frontlines. Serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, are widespread in the ongoing armed assault.
The conflict has created the largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II. More than 10.7 million people remain displaced, and new waves of displacement are occurring in the north and east due to ongoing hostilities. As of 2025, approximately 6.9 million people have fled to other countries, primarily Russia, Poland, and Germany. Meanwhile, 3.8 million people remain displaced within Ukraine.