The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the escalating situation in Ukraine, where extensive Russian missile and drone strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties and displacement.
The meeting was called at Ukraine’s request in a letter dated June 17, with support from Council members Denmark, France, Greece, South Korea, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.
Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacekeeping Affairs Miroslav Yenza described “uninterrupted, large-scale Russian airstrikes on cities and towns across Ukraine,” highlighting a lethal assault in Kiev on the night of June 16-17, which resulted in at least 28 civilian deaths and over 130 injuries from drone and missile strikes across seven districts.
Rescue crews faced a challenging night, working to free residents trapped in a collapsed nine-story apartment building, with many individuals still unaccounted for.
The scope of the Russian attacks extended beyond Kiev, with Yenza reporting assaults in “Odessa, Zaporizhzhya, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Kiev regions, involving more than 428 drones and missiles.” In Odessa, two civilians lost their lives and dozens were injured. The intensity of these long-range assaults led to a sharp rise in civilian casualties, with Yenza noting that “in the first five months of 2025, civilian casualties in Ukraine reached 5,144, including 859 fatalities and 4,285 injuries,” marking a 47% increase compared to the same timeframe in 2024.
In addition to the assaults in Ukraine, Yenza reported unverified information about Ukrainian drone strikes in the Russian Kursk region. He emphasized that “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited by international humanitarian law and should be condemned and stopped immediately.”
Despite these troubling developments, Yenza noted some diplomatic progress, referencing talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul on June 2. These negotiations resulted in agreements on significant prisoner exchanges, with the latest exchange occurring on the same day as the briefing.
Yenza praised these exchanges, stating that “these efforts are providing much-needed clarity for families worried about their loved ones.”
OCHA Operations Director Edem Wosornu provided an update on the humanitarian crisis, confirming the alarming trend of escalating violence: “Daily missile and drone attacks are causing catastrophic damage, especially in frontline areas.” He noted that the recent strike in Kiev was “the deadliest in nearly a year, resulting in over 12 fatalities and more than 100 injuries,” and that Ukrainian authorities reported the use of cluster bombs. In Odessa, strikes targeted a kindergarten and a center for children with special needs.
Wosornu warned that “nearly 50% more civilians have been killed and injured in Ukraine during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024,” emphasizing the significant threat from explosive remnants—over 20% of Ukrainian territory is contaminated by unexploded mines or munitions, making it the most heavily polluted country since World War II.
Humanitarian workers are also at increasing risk, with 68 incidents of violence recorded in 2025, leading to “two deaths and 24 injuries among workers.” Approximately 1.5 million civilians remain cut off from access to occupied regions due to barriers to humanitarian aid.
Nevertheless, humanitarian efforts continue. Wosornu concluded by urging the Council to prioritize civilian protection, ensure sustained funding, and “end this war, while keeping humanitarian concerns central to any discussions on ceasefires or long-term agreements.”
Greek Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris condemned the recent Russian assaults on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, emphasizing the need for accountability for breaches of international humanitarian law. He called on Russia to heed the international community’s call for a comprehensive, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire as a prerequisite for achieving a just and lasting peace.
He also praised the efforts of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and all humanitarian organizations active in Ukraine, advocating for their full, safe, and unrestricted access to the areas most in need.
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andriy Melnik, shared a personal account of the war’s toll on his family in Kiev, who live under the constant fear of Russian missile and drone attacks. He recounted a recent strike on June 17, when a Russian X-101 missile hit a residential building, killing 20 civilians, including mothers, fathers, and children. His mother, living nearby, called him in fear after the explosion, her voice trembling as she prayed for survival, uncertain if she would ever see him again.
She vividly recounted the pervasive fear faced by Ukrainian families, highlighting that even homes, kitchens, playgrounds, hospitals, and schools have become battlegrounds in the “war of annihilation” waged by Russia. “This Russian war is fought in the bedrooms… an unceasing terror that steals tomorrow before the dawn,” he stated.
He urged the Council to envision their families in similar peril, calling for an end to the senseless and brutal Russian attacks.
The US Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, condemned Russia’s actions, stating, “Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians when it should be doing the opposite, ending the war.” She confirmed that “one of the deceased was an American citizen, marking the first US casualty in this conflict,” and that Russia has launched “over 3,300 drones and is estimated to deploy nearly 6,000 lethal drones” in June alone.
She further condemned the use of cluster munitions, referencing media accounts and impact assessments. Shea also called out third-party nations for supporting Russia’s military efforts, stating, “We condemn Iran for supplying drones and Shahed missiles to Russia, and North Korea for providing ammunition, missiles, and troops.”
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