UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC 61 - Human Rights in Ukraine

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Thanks very much, Mr Vice President, Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates.

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Four years since the Russian Federation launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine, the danger to civilians is only intensifying.

Last year saw a 31% increase in civilian casualties compared to 2024 and a 70% increase compared to 2023.

This alarming pattern of increased civilian suffering continued into this year as the Russian Federation intensified attacks using long range missiles and drones against urban areas across Ukraine.

The situation for people living in communities near the frontline is particularly dire.

During the first two months of this year, 60% of all civilian casualties were in frontline regions.

Almost half of those killed were older persons.

The leading cause of these deaths and injuries was attacks involving short range drones affecting both the areas under the control of the government of Ukraine and the territory occupied by the Russian Federation.

At least 580 civilians were killed and 3000 injured in such attacks last year.

In just the first two months of this year, 107 civilians were killed and 430 injured, so the casualty rate has almost doubled.

95% of casualties resulting from short range drones were in government controlled territory of Ukraine, but the situation is also difficult in frontline communities in the territory occupied by the Russian Federation.

People from Russian controlled Oleski district in Herzon region told our team that frequent drone attacks together with land mines along roads make evacuation extremely difficult and dangerous, leaving many people trapped close to the frontline.

They also described critical humanitarian needs, including food shortages.

The Russian authorities also report civilian casualties in the Russian Federation resulting from attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces.

We hope the Russian authorities will provide us with access to these areas in order to be able to fully verify these reports in line with our standard methodology.

Mr Vice President, systemic attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine's energy infrastructure intensified this winter, including strikes on systems that heat residential buildings, causing severe hardship for civilians.

As a result of these attacks, combined with the occupation of part of its territory, Ukraine has lost more than half its capacity to generate electricity.

This has led to power outages across the country of up to 22 hours a day in some areas.

As temperatures have dropped, Russian forces increasingly targeted heating systems for residential areas in major cities, including Kiev.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were left without heating, some for weeks and even months, in temperatures that often fell below -15°C.

These attacks severely affected people's lives, including their health, their education, and their right to adequate housing.

They had a particularly cruel impact on vulnerable groups, including older people and those with disabilities.

We also documented 10 attacks by Ukrainian Armed forces on electrical supply systems in territory occupied by the Russian Federation in the first two months of this year.

Authorities in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation reported that Ukrainian attacks on regional power and heating systems caused electricity and heating outages.

Without access to these areas, we could not fully verify these reports.

Mr Vice President, I'm deeply disturbed by reports of the continued torture and I'll treatment of captured soldiers with no progress on accountability.

Testimony by recently released Ukrainian prisoners of war shows that torture and other I'll treatment by the Russian Federation continues to be widespread and systematic.

Since the full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 / 96% of the Ukrainian prisoners of war that we interviewed said they were subjected to torture and I'll treatment during their captivity.

Over half of the prisoners held by Ukraine over the same.

Provided accounts of torture or other I'll treatment, mostly during the initial stages of their captivity.

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Since the start of the occupation, Russian authorities have expelled and forcibly displaced Ukrainians from occupied territory.

They continue to do so, often targeting those accused of opposing the occupation.

The Russian Federation unlawfully and systematically discriminated against people and groups in the territory under occupation based on their nationality, real or imputed political opinion, cultural identity, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation, leaving many with no real choice but to leave.

These discriminatory measures also prevent people who have left occupied territory from returning.

Travel restrictions on Ukrainians, entry bans and confiscation of property are additional barriers.

While these policies and practises are in place, the vast majority of displaced people cannot return home.

Our report also highlights that Ukrainians who have left occupied territory may face discrimination in government controlled territory compared with people who have been displaced from other areas.

People displaced from occupied territory often have problems in obtaining or renewing their identity documents and other official records.

They are not eligible for compensation for the loss of their housing if it has been damaged or destroyed.

Some suffer torture and I'll treatment in occupied territory and have not received the support they need since arriving in government controlled areas of Ukraine.

Distinguished delegates, we call on the Russian Federation to stop this war, to halt extrajudicial executions, torture, I'll treatment and other violations against prisoners of war and civilian detainees, and to respect and protect human rights in occupied territory.

In short, to meet in full their obligations on the international law.

We urge Ukraine to serve safeguard prisoners of war from torture and I'll treatment, and to end discrimination against people from territory occupied by the Russian Federation.

Perpetrators of all violations of human rights and humanitarian law must be held accountable.

Recent exchanges of prisoners of war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in February and March are encouraging.

In essence, these exchanges constitute an element of confidence building, and more such measures anchored in human rights could save lives and create the space for meaningful talks.

Our office stands ready to support such efforts.

All discussions about future arrangements for territory occupied by the Russian Federation should guarantee that individuals who were forcibly displaced can return voluntarily in safety and dignity.

They must have a meaningful role in the peace building process.

A sustainable peace can only be achieved through negotiations grounded in human rights and in line with the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you, Deputy High Commissioner.

In accordance with our practise, we will begin by hearing the delegations of the countries concerned.

I understand that the delegation of the Russian Federation does not wish to take the floor at this stage, so I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ukraine.

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President, we extend our gratitude to the High Commissioner for presenting the Office's report, which exposes the brutal and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law committed by the Russian Federation in the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine.

The documents before us leads.

No doubt the international community cannot ignore the ongoing human rights catastrophe in this territory.

The report documents widespread patterns of forcible transfers and unlawful deportations affecting thousands of civilians in Donetsk, Luhansk, Herzon, Zaparisia and Crimea, highlighting a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians, suppress dissent and punish those who refuse to abandon their homes or comply with Russia's illegal policies.

These are not accidental consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

They are deliberate acts of oppression enforced through threats, detention, torture and persecution under illegitimate laws.

Here I would like to remind Russia that the forcible removal of protected persons from the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine, whether individually or in mass and regardless of their destination, is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

As highlighted in the report, the full scale military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in 2022 triggered mass displacement, with 12.7 million Ukrainians displaced in the first two months alone, as people fled hostilities, becoming internally displaced persons within Ukraine or moving abroad.

The Russian policy of the of the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine has effectively turned this land into open air prisons where people are targeted, intimidated and imprisoned solely for their language, beliefs or identity.

Resistance to occupation, peaceful expression of identity, or refusal to comply with Russian orders is met with harsh retribution, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Moreover, since early 2024, the occupiers have accelerated large scale expropriations of assets across temporary occupied parts of Ukraine, including this seizure of 10s of thousands of homes and apartments.

By systematically displacing populations and seizing private property, including homes, businesses and cultural institutions, Russia is deliberately erasing the social social fabric of Ukrainian communities, aiming to impose permanent control over temporary occupied territory in blatant violation of international law.

These acts constitute undeniable war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The atrocities committed by Russia represent only the tip of the iceberg of its war crimes.

The international community must act decisively to hold the decisively to hold the Kremlin accountable, ensure justice for the victims, and prevent the normalisation of occupation policies that frequently violate international law.

Dear Deputy High Commissioner, despite facing relentless aggression, Ukraine remains unyielding in its commitment to international law.

We demand that the Russian Federation immediately sees all violations and dismantle its coercive policies.

As occupying power, Russia bears full responsibility for the ongoing human suffering, widespread destruction and deliberate demographic engineering in the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine.

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Ukraine will continue to cooperate fully with the United Nations to protect human rights, secure the release of detainees and prisoners of war, and restore the lives of Ukrainians deprived of safety, homes, and dignity by Russian occupiers.

We call on UN member states to unequivocally condemn Russia's terror, hold it accountable, and send a clear message to the Kremlin.

The world will not tolerate the killing, abduction and expulsion of civilians, including children, nor the erasure of Ukrainian sovereignty.

We also call for international support for stopping Russia's war of aggression and restore comprehensive, last and just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

Based on the international law, including the UN Charter on the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the occupation of the temporary occupied territory of Ukraine will ensure respect to the human rights of our people on this territory.

It will also allow safe return of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to leave their homes due to the Russia's armed aggression.

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HRC 61 - Human Rights in Ukraine - 26 March 2026