This article is published in association with United Nations.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Friday that the war in Ukraine “has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.”
The full-scale Russian invasion of the country began in February 2022 and “this year has seen intense attacks along the frontline, and massive airstrikes, largely in populated areas,” he told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“In some towns in frontline communities, nearly all the housing has been damaged or destroyed.”
Furthermore, on 6 September, Russia reportedly launched the largest air attack of the war, deploying 823 munitions across Ukraine overnight, including 810 long-range drones and 13 powerful missiles.
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Record casualty numbers
“Harm to Ukrainian civilians has risen sharply, with total casualties in the first eight months of the year increasing by 40 percent compared to 2024. In July we documented the highest number of civilian casualties in a month in more than three years,” he said.
The High Commissioner’s Office, OHCHR, has documented more than 50,000 civilians killed and injured, including more than 3,000 children, since the start of the war.
Continued attacks on power stations, gas facilities, bridges, railways and other critical infrastructure, disrupt daily life and essential services, he said.
Vulnerable groups, including children, older people and persons with disabilities, are the most affected and “the onset of winter will only make their living conditions even worse.”
Although Russia has reported civilian casualties at much lower levels, resulting from alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, OHCHR has not been able to verify the figures, he said.
Detentions and extrajudicial executions
Meanwhile, Russia has detained large numbers of both Ukrainian civilians and military personnel. OHCHR issued a report last week that details the violations inflicted on civilian detainees.
“In many cases, people living in occupied territory have been arbitrarily seized from the street and held for weeks, months, or even years. In a significant number of cases, these detentions may amount to enforced disappearances,” said Mr. Türk.
OHCHR has recorded 90 extrajudicial executions of Ukrainian civilians detained by the Russian authorities, as well as 38 deaths in custody resulting from torture, lack of medical care or poor conditions.
Impunity ‘entrenched’ in law
“We also documented patterns of widespread, systematic torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, against Ukrainian civilian detainees. My staff had already recorded these same violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war,” he said.
“Amendments to the laws of the Russian Federation have entrenched impunity for military personnel, enabling extrajudicial executions, torture, and ill-treatment to go unpunished.”
OHCHR also recorded cases of the Ukrainian authorities torturing and mistreating detainees connected to the conflict, including cases of sexual violence, many of which were in 2022.
The UN rights chief noted that the Ukrainian authorities have taken steps to strengthen safeguards and improve detention conditions, but there is limited accountability.
Ukrainian identity deliberately suppressed
“The Russian authorities continue to perpetrate widespread and systematic violations of human rights against Ukrainian civilians in the territory they occupy in the south and east of the country,” he said.
“Residents face increasing pressure to obtain Russian citizenship to access basic services, or risk intimidation, deportation, and the confiscation of their property.”
Russian occupying authorities have also imposed their own curriculum on schools and introduced patriotic and military education. Surveillance and censorship have intensified, including on messaging apps and VPNs. “These practices reflect a deliberate effort to suppress dissent and Ukrainian identity,” he said.
OHCHR teams continue to follow these developments closely, gathering evidence, and documenting alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
For the report, they conducted over 400 interviews in 17 places of detention across all regions under Ukrainian control. For cases from Russian-occupied territory they conducted 216 interviews with released detainees.
Appeal to the parties
“I call on the Russian Federation to halt all extrajudicial executions, torture, mistreatment and sexual violence against civilian detainees and prisoners of war, and to end all arbitrary and unlawful detention practices,” Mr. Türk said.
He urged Russia to respect international law in territory under its control; to ensure effective oversight of all places of detention; and to grant full access for independent monitors to civilian detainees.
“I urge Ukraine to respect its obligations under international law in its treatment of detainees, by safeguarding them from torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence,” he added.
End the war
The human rights chief also called for all parties to conduct prompt, independent, and effective investigations of all allegations of violations, and to ensure accountability for perpetrators.
“This war needs to end. The human toll on civilians, and on soldiers and their families, is staggering and heartbreaking,” he said.
“Recent reports that Russian military drones have been seen in countries neighbouring Ukraine remind us of the dangers this war poses across the region and beyond. Every day, as the violence continues, the risks of escalation and expansion grow.”
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