Category: Russian Language

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: United Nations – United Nations –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

February 26, 2026 Human rights

"The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is a man-made disaster," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Thursday. He presented a report to the Human Rights Council covering the period from November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2025.

The document, according to Türk, demonstrates serious violations by both Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

Large-scale losses among civilians

Data collected by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) points to the systemic nature of violations. According to the report, more than 25,500 Palestinians, including entire families, were killed in Gaza during the reporting period, and more than 68,800 were injured. Among the dead were Palestinian journalists. The UN Office confirmed that 292 media workers have been killed in Israeli operations since October 7, 2023.

In August 2025, a mass famine was declared in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, died of starvation.

“This was a direct result of Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid and other deliberate actions,” the High Commissioner emphasized.

Israeli hostages

The UN human rights chief also stressed that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continued to hold hostages throughout 2025, in clear violation of international law.

Fifty-one people captured on October 7, 2023, were returned to their families. After their release, they recounted the ordeals they had endured, including sexual and gender-based violence, torture, beatings, and prolonged detention in underground facilities.

West Bank: Increased violence and displacement

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces continued to use force. Operation Iron Wall, launched in January 2025, led to the forced displacement of 32,000 people.

At the same time, Palestinian security forces frequently used excessive or disproportionate force, resulting in the deaths of at least eight Palestinians. More than 300 people were arbitrarily detained and subjected to ill-treatment.

The truce did not bring real peace.

While the ceasefire of October 11, 2025 brought some relief, it did not lead to sustainable protection of the civilian population, Turk said.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 600 Palestinians and injured over 1,600 since the ceasefire took effect. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office has documented at least 80 cases of killings of Palestinians by Hamas, primarily during extrajudicial executions and clashes with rival factions.

In addition, at least 11 children have died of hypothermia in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.

Violations of international law

The High Commissioner expressed regret over Israel's decision to suspend the activities of approximately 37 humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip. He also condemned the ban on the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the demolition of its facilities in East Jerusalem, calling these steps a violation of international law.

Turk expressed serious concern about Israel's continued moves to expand its control over Palestinian territories, which could be "aimed at constant change in the demographic structure in Gaza and the West Bank, raising fears of ethnic cleansing."

He also criticised measures against international mechanisms, including sanctions against representatives of the International Criminal Court and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese.

Albanese, who is not a UN employee but acts in her personal capacity under a mandate from the Human Rights Council, spoke today in Geneva alongside other independent experts. They condemned attempts to undermine their work.

Attacks on independent experts are "unacceptable"

Speaking to reporters, Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett rejected calls for Albanese to resign after videos were published online distorting her remarks about Israel.

Last July, it was added to the US sanctions list. Previously, starting in February of last year, measures were imposed on judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Bennett stressed that states "may strongly disagree and have every right to express that disagreement in a strong manner," but that deliberate distortion of statements and "attacks" on independent experts are unacceptable.

"International sanctions are intended for human rights violators and criminals, not for human rights defenders," he said.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent human rights experts are not UN staff and do not receive remuneration for their work. Human rights—along with peace, security, and development—are one of the fundamental pillars of the United Nations.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: United Nations – United Nations –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

February 26, 2026 Peace and security

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that last night, large-scale drone and missile strikes, as well as fighting on the front lines across Ukraine, killed and wounded civilians, damaged homes and critical infrastructure.

At a briefing in New York, UN Press Secretary Stéphane Dujarric stated that the UN condemns attacks by Russian armed forces on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

"Such attacks, wherever they occur, violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable and unjustifiable and must stop immediately," he said.

The UKGV clarified that in the Odesa region, approximately 40,000 families were left without electricity, and in the Poltava region, damage to gas facilities led to power outages affecting approximately 20,000 families and businesses.

Ukraine's Ministry of Energy also reported power outages in several eastern and southern regions of the country.

"Our humanitarian partners on the ground provided materials to carry out basic repairs and also provided first aid to those affected," Dujarric said.

He also said that, according to authorities and Ukrainian UN partners, nearly 7,000 people were evacuated from frontline areas in eastern Ukraine last month.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: United Nations – United Nations –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

February 26, 2026 Healthcare

Today, the WHO Regional Office for Europe published new fact sheets on tobacco use, and the findings are grim. The WHO European Region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, will continue to have the highest tobacco use globally by 2030, with particularly alarming trends among women and young people.

The region has a strong foundation for tobacco control, but the nicotine-containing product market is rapidly expanding, and policy responses have not always kept pace.

“In the European Region, tobacco use already causes more than 1.1 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases each year, and unless we can step up our efforts, we will remain the region with the worst results in the world by 2030,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge.

"We must change this course now: we must protect young people from nicotine addiction and stop the industry's attempts to interfere with health policy," he added.

Europe leads in smoking rates among teenage girls

The WHO European Region is the only region in the world expected to miss the global target of reducing tobacco use among women by 30 percent by 2025. According to the latest estimates, the number of women smoking will decrease by only 12 percent between 2010 and 2025.

More than 40 percent of the world's adult female smokers – 62 million – live in the European Region.

The highest prevalence of tobacco use among girls worldwide is observed among girls aged 13–15 years in the European Region.

A threat to the new generation

In Europe, approximately 4 million adolescents aged 13–15 use tobacco products. An even more alarming trend is observed with regard to e-cigarettes: the WHO European Region has the highest prevalence rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents in the world – 14.3 percent, with rates virtually equal among boys and girls.

"This is no accident—it's the result of the tobacco industry's targeted strategy to attract young people through flavors and sophisticated social media marketing. The experience of countries like Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands shows that this trend can be countered by regulating new products, banning flavors, and restricting advertising," Kluge said.

Existing measures are not sufficient

While most countries in the region have effective tobacco product monitoring systems and require large graphic health warnings on packaging, the WHO notes that implementation of other measures has been less successful.

Comprehensive laws banning smoking in all public places are in effect in only 18 of 53 countries. National smoking cessation services, with coverage for these services, exist in only 12 countries. A comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and promotion is in effect in only 13 countries. In 19 countries, cigarette prices are lower today than they were in 2014.

Regulation of e-cigarettes and other emerging nicotine products remains fragmented, reducing the overall effectiveness of tobacco control measures.

WHO calls on countries to address these gaps by fulfilling their obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, strengthening enforcement measures, and ensuring that tobacco product controls cover new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: United Nations – United Nations –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

February 26, 2026 International law

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Thursday for political dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid border clashes and deadly airstrikes. He also condemned the tightening of "apartheid-like" decrees by the de facto Taliban authorities, which continue to severely infringe on the rights of women and girls.

"The situation requires urgent political dialogue, not further escalation of force," he said. There are reports of a sharp rise in civilian casualties during cross-border clashes with Pakistani forces, which are reportedly strike blows against armed groups hiding in Afghanistan.

According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 70 civilians were killed and another 478 were injured in the country in the last three months of 2025. "This week, casualties were recorded again – 13 civilians were killed and several were injured as a result of Pakistani airstrikes," Türk noted.

Consequences of the decrees

Taliban regulations passed since the capture of Kabul in 2021 expand the list of crimes punishable by death and allow the use of physical violence against women and children in the home.

Criticism of the authorities is also criminalized. As a result, according to Türk, Afghanistan is practically burying the concept of human rights. "The system of segregation resembles apartheid – based not on race, but on gender," he said at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

De facto authorities have effectively criminalized the presence of women and girls in public lifeThey are prohibited from pursuing education beyond the primary level and from working in most fields. Discrimination affects access to healthcare, participation in public life, freedom of movement, and expression.

Strengthening control

The High Commissioner noted that "morality" laws are used to force men to grow beards and women to adhere to strict rules on wearing the hijab.

The so-called "Law for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" is also used to restrict women's freedom of movement—they are forbidden from leaving the house without a male guardian. Music and images of living creatures are prohibited.

Since September 7 last year, the de facto authorities banned for female UN employees and other Afghan women to enter the Organization's premises throughout the country.

“These restrictions are unprecedented and deeply worrying,” Türk stressed, calling on the international community to increase pressure on the de facto authorities to comply with their international human rights obligations.

International efforts

Türk stressed that human rights violations have direct consequences for peace and security.

The desperate and rapidly deteriorating situation of the people of Afghanistan has long been a source of grave concern to the international community. In addition to the Human Rights Council, which provides a forum for the country's residents to express their views, the situation is regularly discussed in the UN Security Council, where sanctions and other measures, including monitoring, are applied.

The General Assembly also remains engaged in the Afghan agenda and adopts resolutions in support of the people of the country and the creation of a stable, secure and economically self-sufficient state free from terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational crime and corruption.

Arrest warrants

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

The warrants state there are "reasonable grounds to believe" they are responsible for crimes against humanity – the persecution of women, girls and other individuals who do not conform to the Taliban's gender policies, as well as individuals perceived to be their allies.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.