UN warns of continued transfer of arms and ammunition to Ukraine and Russia

September 14 () –

The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, expressed this Friday her “deep concern” at the continued transfer of arms and ammunition to Ukraine and Russia, in violation of international law, and called on “all” States to adhere to disarmament treaties.

“Since the last briefing to the Security Council on this issue just two weeks ago, the provision of military assistance and the transfer of weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces have continued against the backdrop of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 in violation of the UN Charter and international law,” he warned.

The shipments would include, according to Nakamitsu, heavy conventional weapons such as “tanks, armored combat vehicles and aircraft, helicopters, large-caliber artillery and missile systems, as well as unmanned combat aerial vehicles and remote-operated munitions, small arms and light weapons and their stock.”

In a briefing to the Security Council requested by Russia, the UN High Representative also referred to reports of States transferring or planning to transfer weapons to Russian troops, which have already used them and may continue to use them in Ukraine.

In this regard, the Council has also expressed particular concern about cluster munitions since the beginning of the conflict and the widespread contamination with mines and explosive remnants of war in Ukrainian territory.

Nakamitsu recalled that “any transfer of arms and ammunition must be in accordance with the applicable international legal framework, including International Humanitarian Law” and called on “all” States to comply with their obligations in this regard. “In the current difficult security context, it is more important than ever to reaffirm the value and importance of International Humanitarian Law,” he argued.

He also called for them to adhere “as a matter of priority” to the disarmament treaties “and to comply with the obligations established therein, something that, he said, is “crucial to avoid causing unnecessary suffering or superfluous injury to people and to protect civilians.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, more than 11,700 civilians have been killed and more than 24,600 injured in Ukraine, according to data collected by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

August was the month with the second highest number of civilian casualties so far in 2024, with at least 184 civilians killed and 856 injured in Ukraine.