MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - As millions in Ukraine have been left without heating, water or basic public services as winter temperatures plunge, the number of civilian deaths this year has already surpassed the total for 2024, the UN Security Council heard on Thursday.
'Ukrainian civilians have continued to bear the brunt of the Russian Federation's escalating aerial campaign,' said Kayoto Gotoh, Europe Director with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
She briefed the Council against the backdrop of sustained missile and drone strikes, including a barrage on Wednesday night that killed at least 25 people.
Despite the intensifying violence, Gotoh noted that the UN has supported more than six million people with electricity, heating, water and sanitation services.
She also highlighted last month's breakthrough by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which secured agreement from both sides to reconnect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the grid.
While most civilian casualties occur near the frontline, Russia's growing use of long-range weapons is exposing more of the country to danger. Describing Wednesday's attack as among the war's deadliest, Gotoh said the western regions of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk were also struck. 'No region of Ukraine is safe,' according to the top UN official.
Alarming casualty figures underscore the scale of the crisis. The number of civilians killed in capital Kyiv by the end of October was nearly four times higher than in all of 2024, and overall casualties nationwide have already exceeded last year's count.
According to the UN human rights office, a total of 14534 civilians, including 745 children, have been killed since Russia launched the war against its neighbor in 2022.
Russia too is experiencing rising impacts from the conflict. Ukrainian drone strikes have reportedly killed 392 people, including 22 children, according to Russian authorities. The UN says it has not been able to verify these figures.
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