As Human Suffering Mounts, “What Ukraine and Its People Need Is an End to This Devastating War”, Senior Humanitarian Official Tells Security Council

As Human Suffering Mounts, "What Ukraine and Its People Need Is an End to This Devastating War", Senior Humanitarian Official Tells Security Council

Psychological Toll of Constant Shelling, Displacement "Defies Comprehension" Says Delegate

Updating the Security Council today on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, a senior United Nations official stressed that repeated attacks on that country's energy infrastructure by the Russian Federation - as well as the continued inability to reach civilians living in occupied regions - could have dire consequences in the third winter of this "intolerable war".

"Near the front line, people live life on the edge," said Lisa Doughten, Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. As the conflict grinds into another winter and daily attacks continue, civilians face constant shelling and an impossible choice - flee in perilous conditions leaving everything they have, or stay and risk injury or death. "This is no idle concern," she stressed, reporting that dozens of civilians have been killed in recent attacks in the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson.

Further, she said that the use of long-range weapons has steadily increased since July 2024, pointing out that those killed and injured by such weapons in November was double October's toll. And, as temperatures start to drop as low as -20°C in some places with more than 60 per cent of energy facilities damaged by repeated, large-scale, coordinated Russian Federation attacks, "our concern for civilians intensifies", she said. This, she added, is exacerbated by a simultaneous - "and equally egregious" - increase in attacks harming humanitarian operations.

Nevertheless, she reported: "Grappling with the freezing conditions and the dangers posed by missile attacks, the humanitarian community is doing all it can to provide people with the support they need." In 2024, more than 630 humanitarian organizations have provided at least one form of assistance to 7.7 million people across Ukraine. However, the international community must unequivocally commit to - and comply with - international humanitarian law, and also increase and accelerate flexible funding for the humanitarian response.

However, she underscored that, ultimately, "what Ukraine and its people need is an end to this devastating war".

As the floor opened, many speakers condemned Moscow's continuing attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure more than a thousand days into the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine. Some called for accountability and others urged a return to diplomacy; yet, concern for civilians echoed most.

Among those deploring the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure was the United Kingdom's delegate, who noted that 12 major strikes against Ukraine's energy system in 2024 have left Ukrainians with limited access to power, water and heating. Stressing that the targeting of substations providing electricity to nuclear plants directly threatens the safety of Ukraine and the wider region, he said that Moscow's suggestion to resolve this issue - putting the affected plants into cold shut-down - ignores the civilian impact. "The solution is much simpler - Russia should cease these reckless attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure," he said.

France's delegate, similarly, condemned increased, indiscriminate strikes against civilian populations and objects, pointing to the 10 December attacks on Zaporizhzhia. With more than half of Ukraine's electricity-generating capacity now destroyed or damaged, Ukrainians are forced to spend their third bitter winter in the cold, he said, also deploring Moscow's "manifold" violations in the occupied territories of Ukraine and urging humanitarian access to the 1.5 million people in those regions.

Adding to that, Ecuador's delegate said that the psychological toll of constant shelling and displacement "defies comprehension". Stating that the UN and humanitarian organizations are a "beacon of hope" in this "unjustifiable" war, he underscored his delegation's emphasis on mitigating human suffering. Further, he also deplored recent attacks on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) personnel near Zaporizhzhia - a concern echoed by the representative of Sierra Leone, who pointed out that the occupation of that power plant alone has reduced Ukraine's power-generation capacity by 6 gigawatts.

The representative of the Republic of Korea also condemned attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which are designed to break the will of the Ukrainian people. Moscow's attempts to cripple Ukraine's nuclear generation "risk probably the most devastating consequence this unjustifiable war can cause: a nuclear accident", he said, calling on Moscow to cease such attacks. This call - and concern - was echoed by Guyana's delegate. Switzerland's representative, for her part, cited reports indicating that attacks on power infrastructure are likely to violate the fundamental principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality.

Nevertheless, the representative of the Russian Federation said: "We see today's meeting as a desperate attempt by the sponsors and puppeteers of the Kyiv regime to keep Ukraine afloat as a topic in the Security Council," said the representative of the Russian Federation. Stating that Ukraine's President and his team have been traveling across the United States "with their hands outstretched, trying to secure the understanding that the new administration will not throw them under the bus", he said that their "sour faces" can be explained by the fact that an audit may be conducted regarding the money that the United States has already spent on Ukraine.

"We advise everyone to get their popcorn ready - there is going to be a lot of fuss in the coming months," he said. Citing a recent poll that over one half of Ukrainians favour ending the conflict as soon as possible and "are willing to accept inevitable territorial concessions", he stated: "The end of the criminal and rapacious regime is near, the front line is coming undone across the board, the territory under Ukraine's control is shrinking by the day; meanwhile, Ukrainians are more actively seeking peace and refusing to go and fight."

Meanwhile, the representative of the United States, Council President for December, said that the Russian Federation's delegate "uses his time to attempt to interpret what he believes to be the policies of the next Administration". She stressed that this is "something that is not in his purview - particularly when he can't explain Russia's own policy of aggression against Ukraine". Emphasizing that, as Moscow continues to attack Ukraine's energy grid, "the cold is inescapable", she underscored that when - not if - Ukraine achieves a just and lasting peace, "Russia will need to answer for its unlawful actions".

"Grave violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law must not go unpunished, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice," stressed the representative of Slovenia. Malta's delegate, pointing out that "this war has displaced more people in Europe than what we have witnessed since the Second World War", called on all States - including Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - to stop supporting Moscow's illegal war of aggression. Japan's representative, in that context, joined others in condemning the deepening "unlawful, unjustified and unacceptable" military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, the representative of Algeria - while deploring attacks on energy facilities amid a harsh winter - voiced regret that both parties continue to follow the logic of confrontation and polarization, strengthening their military capacities to achieve a better position. This war - like all wars - has no winners, he added. China's delegate, similarly, asserted that "there is no winner in conflict" and that military means cannot bring lasting peace. He underscored the need for both sides to meet halfway, with a view towards peace talks. This was echoed by Mozambique's delegate, who reiterated his country's stance that a negotiated solution is the only viable path to end the conflict.

However, Ukraine's representative asked: "Does anybody believe that Russia is interested in genuine peace, while claiming the territories it has occupied - and even those it has failed to occupy?" Rather, it is testing the strength of the democratic world's resilience - "or, rather, its weakness", he stressed, underscoring that, if weakness is demonstrated in the case of Ukraine, "the world should be ready for new waves of Russian aggression sooner, rather than later". He also emphasized that, by publicly labelling Ukraine's allies as the Russian Federation's primary enemies, "the Kremlin sends a message of intimidation: We could be doing to you what we are doing to Ukraine".

Stating that the representative of the Russian Federation may issue threats and "indulge in the delusion of representing a superpower", he said that the reality is that "Russia's over-extended neo-imperial ambitions are steadily unravelling - the Kremlin's intervention in Syria has culminated in failure, and the collapse of its ventures in Africa will follow". And Moscow's war against Ukraine will "meet the same ignominious end", he stressed. "The world must not succumb to the Kremlin's bluff," he urged, as peace "can and will be secured through strength, for strength remains the only language that an aggressor comprehends".

Offering a regional perspective, the representative of Lithuania - also speaking for Estonia and Latvia - stressed: "The suffering that Russia continues to inflict on Ukrainian civilians is intolerable." For their part, these three States have sheltered more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees since 2022, and are working closely with the UN to ensure critical protection services and humanitarian assistance. The representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, stressed the importance of winter humanitarian action, noting that the bloc and its members - "as is the case for all crises around the world" - continue to contribute generously.

Poland's representative noted that his country has served as a medical, energy and logistical hub for the transfer of European Union aid to Ukraine, and has provided energy support before winter in addition to contributing financially to various programmes and funds. Further, he noted that this war has forced millions of people to flee their homes - "because Russia deliberately wishes so". "Any illusion that Russia advocates for a more equitable, just and fair world must be dispelled," underscored Sweden's representative, also speaking for Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

"Relentless bombing, the destruction of infrastructure and the fear of repeated hostilities - coupled with the absence of adults, either deceased or serving in the armed forces - is creating a generation of traumatized Ukrainian children whose futures will be marked by evolving mental-health issues," observed the observer for the Sovereign Order of Malta. He underscored: "The sooner we find a peaceful solution to the conflict, the sooner the next generation of Ukrainians will find its way."