Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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March 26, 2026 Peace and security
More than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, "the danger to civilians is only growing," particularly due to the use of drones, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif warned on Thursday.
"In the first two months of this year, 60 percent of all civilian casualties occurred in frontline regions, with almost half of those killed being elderly," Al-Nashif said while presenting her latest report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
She noted that the main cause of deaths and injuries among the population were “attacks using short-range drones” both in areas controlled by the Ukrainian government and in territories occupied by Russia.
UN data shows that at least 580 civilians were killed and another 3,000 injured as a result of such attacks in 2025. In just the first two months of this year, 107 civilians were killed and 430 injured, representing civilian casualties. almost doubled.
Ninety-five percent of casualties from short-range drone strikes were recorded in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, the Deputy High Commissioner added.
Casualties at the front line
The situation is also grave in the frontline areas occupied by Russia, including the Oleshky district of the Kherson region, where residents report "frequent drone attacks" as well as mines planted along roads.
"The evacuation is extremely difficult and dangerous, leaving many people trapped near the front lines," Al-Nashif emphasized. Local residents also report food shortages.
"Russian authorities also report civilian casualties on the territory of the Russian Federation as a result of attacks by Ukrainian armed forces," the Deputy High Commissioner added.
Attacks on energy infrastructure
Speaking about the repeated attacks by Russian forces on energy infrastructure of UkraineAl-Nashif noted that they have intensified this winter. Ukraine has lost more than half of its power generation capacity to date, leading to power outages across the country. In some areas, these outages lasted up to 22 hours a day.
"Hundreds of thousands of civilians were left without heat, some for weeks or even months, with temperatures often dropping below minus 15 degrees Celsius," the rapporteur continued. She also noted reports of attacks on energy facilities in Russian-controlled areas, which the UN is unable to confirm due to lack of access.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns that attacks on energy and water infrastructure that disrupted the supply of electricity, heat and water, as well as the operation of sanitation systems in freezing conditions, have left Ukrainian children suffering "the hardest winter" Since the beginning of the war, children have lost between 79 and 88 percent of their learning time, according to UNICEF.
The situation of prisoners
The Deputy High Commissioner also expressed concern about the “widespread” cruel treatment of captured soldiers.
"More than 96 percent of Ukrainian prisoners of war we interviewed said they were tortured and mistreated while in captivity," she explained.
More than half of those held in Ukrainian captivity also reported being subjected to torture or other forms of ill-treatment, primarily during the initial stages of their detention.
The UN representative called on Moscow to "stop this war," "cease extrajudicial executions, torture, cruel treatment and other violations against prisoners of war and detained civilians," and to fulfill its obligations under international law.
She also called on Ukraine to "protect prisoners of war from torture and cruel treatment" and to end discrimination against people who have fled Russian-occupied territories.
Speeches by countries
In his speech, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Yevhen Tsymbalyuk, recalled the widespread consequences of the war, which has displaced thousands of civilians in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions and Crimea. He called this "Russia's deliberate strategy to terrorize the civilian population, suppress dissent, and punish those who refuse to leave their homes or comply with Russia's illegal policies."
The Russian delegation rejected the findings of the UN Deputy High Commissioner's report, calling on it to "stop supporting the Kyiv regime" and adding that it is waging "a war against dissidents, bloggers, journalists, and Zelensky's enemies."
"We are appalled by Russia's increasing attacks on civilian infrastructure, spreading fear and trauma among the population," the German delegation stated. "Large-scale and systematic missile and drone attacks have killed and injured even more civilians in recent months."
In turn, Chinese representatives emphasized their country's commitment to "facilitating peace negotiations and advancing a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis."
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