UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk renewed his call for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and urged that the UN Charter and international law serve as the basis for a solution.
Türk spoke at a meeting on Ukraine held as part of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. He said the war, which began in February 2022, was continuing and expanding, and that the conflict had become a human rights catastrophe causing indescribable suffering to civilians.
Türk said the war had created the risk of a far greater catastrophe across the region and stressed that immediate action was needed to end the conflict.
Civilian casualties rise
Türk said cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war had been identified during the conflict. He said people living in Ukraine were under constant fear and anxiety.
Türk said approximately 15,280 civilians had been killed or injured in the first eight months of the year, amounting to an average of more than 400 civilian casualties per week over 34 weeks. He said the figure was 55 percent higher than in the same period in 2025.
Data on the Moscow attack
Türk also addressed civilian casualties in Russia and said there had been reports that these losses were increasing. According to Russian authorities, three people were killed and 41 injured in a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting Moscow on the night of September 20.
The United Nations could not independently verify the figures released by Russian authorities because it had no access to the region.
Türk also said negotiations aimed at ending the war needed new momentum. He said the negotiation process should be grounded in human rights and include confidence-building measures to reduce the impact of the conflict on civilians.
