The United Nations has condemned a sharp rise in attacks on civilians in Ukraine, reporting that more than 100 people were killed and at least 429 injured in a single week as Russian strikes hit residential areas, passenger buses and critical infrastructure.
Addressing the UN Security Council on Friday, Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, said the attacks had reached “a new horrifying level” since the council’s previous briefing on 23 September.
“We strongly condemn all attacks against civilians,” he said, warning that the mounting violence was taking an increasingly heavy toll on ordinary people.
Khiari said civilian casualties had risen significantly this year, with every month recording more casualties than the same month in each of the previous three years.
He also warned that repeated strikes on cities and essential infrastructure were disrupting daily life for millions, with telecommunications networks, food suppliers, retail businesses and logistics companies among the worst hit.
Calling for an immediate halt to attacks on energy facilities and population centres, he stressed the need to protect vulnerable communities as winter approaches.
The UN official also voiced concern over civilian casualties from intensified Ukrainian attacks inside Russia. According to figures cited by Khiari from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 3,890 civilian casualties were reported in Russia between January and September, including 496 deaths and 3,394 injuries.
“All attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately,” he said.
Khiari further warned that expanding attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea threatened regional security and international trade. Strikes on ports, grain facilities and agricultural infrastructure were also contributing to pressure on global food prices.
Urging both Russia and Ukraine to step back from the escalating violence, Khiari welcomed efforts to secure safe navigation in the Black Sea and called for credible, lasting agreements.
“The current cycle of escalating attacks against civilians must end now before the civilian toll reaches new, devastating levels,” he said.
He urged both sides to give diplomacy a genuine chance, adding: “It is time to end this war.”
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