Since the beginning of July, more than 170 civilians have been killed in Ukraine as a result of Russian attacks, and another 1,028 people have been injured.
Kayoko Gotoh, head of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said this during a UN Security Council meeting, Ukrinform reports.
According to her, Russian strikes are hitting residential buildings, playgrounds, gas stations, markets, and logistics warehouses. Kyiv has been subjected to particularly intense shelling, where in July alone at least 56 civilians were killed and another 232 people were injured.
Kayoko Gotoh also reported daily attacks on frontline communities in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhya Regions using guided aerial bombs.
According to the UN, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the deaths of at least 16,141 civilians, including 803 children, have been confirmed. 48,613 people have been injured, including 2,960 children. The UN representative also mentioned civilian casualties in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
“These attacks are unacceptable, unjustifiable, and must stop immediately. The UN consistently and unequivocally condemns such attacks, wherever they occur,” Gotoh stressed.
She paid particular attention to the situation in the Black Sea. According to her, a new wave of Russian attacks on ports and civilian merchant vessels poses a serious threat to global food security. The ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyy, Izmail, and Mykolayiv regularly come under attack.
This month alone, more than six attacks on civilian vessels have been recorded, leaving 44 crew members killed or injured.
According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), since the beginning of the month global wheat prices have risen by 20% and reached their highest level since March 2024.
Kayoko Gotoh also expressed concern about the situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. She recalled that on 15 15 the IAEA reported the 22nd complete loss of external power supply to the plant since the start of the full-scale war, with ten such incidents occurring in the past three months alone.
The UN representative urged the parties to renew diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict.
“We must not allow this dangerous spiral of escalation to continue. We call on all those involved to resume dialogue and comprehensive negotiations aimed at de-escalation and achieving an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire,” Gotoh said.
According to her, a ceasefire should be an important step toward a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in line with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant resolutions.