Ukraine: The war has intensified and become more unpredictable

Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo warned the Security Council that, sixteen months after the start of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, the prospects for peace remain desperately dim. By contrast, the barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes across the country nearly tripled in May, he said.

According to the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rightstill the date 24,862 civilian casualties have been registered. These include 9,083 civilian deaths, of which 530 were children, and 15,779 wounded, including 1,086 children.

In addition, a total of 1036 have been verified attacks on educational and medical facilities. The World Health Organization has documented more than a thousand cases of attacks on healthcarewith 101 dead and 139 wounded.

DiCarlo expressed his satisfaction with the parties’ continued efforts to allow the return of prisoners of war and urged them to fulfill their obligations regarding the treatment of these prisoners.

He also expressed his concern about cases of forced transfers of protected persons, including children, to Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories and subsequent deportations to Russia.

700,000 affected by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam

DiCarlo referred to the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam as the largest attack on civilian infrastructure since the start of the war, as it up to 700,000 people could be left without access to drinking water.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, the reservoir has lost 70% of its capacity. In addition, reports recorded the flooding of some 80 communities along the Dnipro River, and the death of dozens of people.

“Concerns continue to grow over the potential for floodwaters to displace landmines into previously cleared areas, further endangering human lives. And damage to sewage systems and a lack of potable water increase the risk of waterborne diseases,” he stated.

As reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant plans to resume pumping water that remains accessible despite significant water loss in the Kakhovka reservoir. However, DiCarlo described the security situation at the plant as “extremely fragile.”

immediate humanitarian response

The deputy secretary general assured that the UN and its humanitarian partners rushed to deliver supplies and support for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in the affected area. However, they could not reach communities that are under Russian control due to the refusal of the Russian Federation to the request for access.

In this sense, DiCarlo declared that “the United Nations will continue working to obtain the necessary access. We urge the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure safe and unrestricted access to all areas in need. Help cannot be denied to people who need it.”

He also referred to the damage to the Tolyatti-Odesa pipeline, the largest ammonia pipeline in the world, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine and recalled that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international law.

Slowdown of the Black Sea Initiative

Regarding the Black Sea Initiative, DiCarlo highlighted how it has enabled the safe transport of more than 32 million metric tons of food products, contributing to lower world food prices. However, he warned that its pace of implementation has slowed down and urged that all obstacles be removed to guarantee the continuity of the agreement.

“Food exports through the maritime humanitarian corridor have fallen from a peak of 4.2 million tons in October to 1.3 million tons in May, the lowest volume since the initiative began”.

nuclear threat

Finally, the Deputy Secretary General warned that the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus has further raised regional tensions and urged all those involved to “act responsibly and in accordance with international obligations. “We reiterate that any threat to use nuclear weapons is unacceptable”, he pointed out.

“This war has created a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe, has traumatized a generation of children and has accelerated the global food and energy crises. It has weakened the international system of collective security that we have all pledged to defend,” she said.

war tactics

Russian Federation Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stated that those behind the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam are in kyiv and are not prioritizing its citizens.

In addition, he added that he is concerned about the increasingly frequent allegations by Ukraine that Russia would want to destroy the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. “These accusations are absurd, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, led by Rafael Grossi, was able to verify this in a mission to the plant, which took place despite obstacles from Ukraine. We hope that the response to kyiv will bring them to their senses and avoid a disaster that could affect much of Europe.

For his part, the Ukrainian ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, reiterated that Russia is responsible for the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam. to try to prevent Ukrainian counter-offensive actions on the Dnipro River. “We are facing one of the man-made catastrophes in Europe in decades. In particular, due to oil polluting substances. Some 150 tons are gradually reaching the Dnipro River, and could reach the Mediterranean. It is estimated that there are already 95,000 tons of dead fish”.

The representative added that, according to information from his intelligence department, Russia is considering the possibility of a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which may produce a radioactive leak. The destruction of the dam confirms that Russia is ready to use this tactic to respond to the deteriorating military situation on the ground. We want to urge the international community to take this threat seriously.”