The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights office concerns on Russian attacks in Kharkiv region of Ukraine
“We are deeply concerned at the plight of civilians in Ukraine, particularly in the Kharkiv region, as Russian armed forces have stepped up their attacks in recent days. This assault has seized more Ukrainian territory, triggered further displacement and potentially threatens Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city,” said spokesperson Liz Throssell at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
Since the latest incursion by Russian forces on 10 May, during which they took control of several small settlements, at least 6,000 people are believed to have fled or been evacuated from areas on the border. Many have reached the city of Kharkiv, which is just some 30 to 40 kilometers from the fighting.
“Our human rights monitoring team in Ukraine, which is continuing to analyze information from the ground, has verified that at least eight civilians have been killed and 35 injured in the Kharkiv region since last Friday,” she said.
“This follows a pattern of civilian casualties documented for April, when at least 129 civilians were killed and 574 injured, the majority amid attacks by Russian armed forces along the frontlines,” Throssell stated.
“In Kharkiv region, the situation is dire, as fighting intensifies. Colleagues in Kharkiv report air raid sirens sounding almost constantly and hearing explosions in the border area and in the city itself. Continuing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which since March have affected millions across Ukraine, have also meant daily power cuts in many parts of Kharkiv,” she said.
Reports indicate that in the north-eastern border city of Vovchansk, where there has been significant destruction, heavy fighting has been continuing. Several hundred civilian residents out of a population of some 3,000 prior to 10 May are believed to still be there.
The UN Human Rights Office is also looking into reports that falling debris from an intercepted missile hit an apartment block in Belgorod in the Russian Federation, causing civilian casualties.
“We once again call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its armed attack against Ukraine - in line with the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the binding provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, and with wider international law - and to withdraw to internationally recognizedborders,” said Throssell.
She also urged all parties to make every effort to avoid or at least minimize harm to civilians, including by avoiding the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Liz Throssell - + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence - +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
SHOTLIST
1. Exterior shots: Palais des Nations
2. Cut Aways: Briefing room.
3. SOUNDBITE (English)—Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are deeply concerned at the plight of civilians in Ukraine, particularly in the Kharkiv region, as Russian armed forces have stepped up their attacks in recent days. This assault has seized more Ukrainian territory, triggered further displacement and potentially threatens Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.”
4. Cut Away: Briefing room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English)—Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Our human rights monitoring team in Ukraine, which is continuing to analyze information from the ground, has verified that at least eight civilians have been killed and 35 injured in the Kharkiv region since last Friday.”
6. Cut Away: Briefing room.
7. SOUNDBITE (English)—Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “This follows a pattern of civilian casualties documented for April, when at least 129 civilians were killed and 574 injured, the majority amid attacks by Russian armed forces along the frontlines.”
8. Cut Away: Briefing room.
9. SOUNDBITE (English)—Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “In Kharkiv region, the situation is dire, as fighting intensifies. Colleagues in Kharkiv report air raid sirens sounding almost constantly and hearing explosions in the border area and in the city itself. Continuing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which since March have affected millions across the Ukraine, have also meant daily power cuts in many parts of Kharkiv.”
10. Cut Away: Briefing room.
11. SOUNDBITE (English)—Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We once again call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its armed attack against Ukraine - in line with the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the binding provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, and with wider international law - and to withdraw to internationally recognised borders.”
12. Cut Away: Briefing room.
Similar Stories
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
World AIDS Day 2025: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Gaza women are ‘last line of protection’ for their families amid attacks, hunger and harsh winter – UN Women
Women in Gaza are ensuring their families’ survival “with nothing but courage and exhausted hands” while violence continues and essentials remain in short supply, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Since the ceasefire began on 27 November 2024, Israeli military strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 127 civilians. Nearly a year later, these attacks continue to increase, causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian structures.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
A new report by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that the prolonged military operation and long-standing restrictions have driven the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory into its most severe contraction on record, wiping out decades of development gains and deepening fiscal and social fragility.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , WFP
Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA
Gaza: After Security Council vote humanitarians urge aid scale-up as winter rains hit families hard
Following the UN Security Council’s Monday endorsement of a US peace plan for Gaza, UN humanitarians urged prioritizing aid access under the scheme as severe rains and flooding deepened Palestinian suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks on the ongoing violence in the occupied WestBank.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk made the following remarks on the situation in El-Fasher, Sudan.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
UN Human Rights Council holds special session on Sudan as mass atrocities reported in El Fasher
The UN Human Rights Council convened an emergency session on Friday on the situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan, following reports of mass killings in the North Darfur capital. States passed a resolution that will mandate an investigation into likely mass atrocities during the capture of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 October.
1
1
2
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Sudan: Women’s bodies ‘a crime scene’ as tens of thousands flee El Fasher atrocities – UN Women
In war-torn Sudan, rape is being systematically used as a weapon and simply being a woman is “a strong predictor” of hunger, violence and death, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday called for an end to continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where “unchecked” settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.