Humanitarian chief of the UN informs the Security Council For the beleaguered civilians, Russian attacks on infrastructure have produced a "new level of need."
As temperatures drop below freezing, the UN's top humanitarian official claims that Russia's "sustained" attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have led to a "new level of need" in a conflict he has dubbed "senseless."
The UN Security Council was informed on Tuesday by Martin Griffiths, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, of the "widespread death, displacement, and suffering" that have occurred since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Moscow's latest strikes on vital utility infrastructure, he claimed, have made the situation worse by depriving millions of people of heat, power, and water, and have given the humanitarian catastrophe brought on by the war "another hazardous dimension."
According to Griffiths, more than 14 million people have already been forcefully uprooted from their homes in Ukraine, including 7.8 million who have sought safety in other parts of Europe.
He continued, quoting figures from the UN human rights office, saying that as of December 1, there had been a total of 17,023 civilian deaths, including 419 children, and cautioning that "the real toll is far greater."
At least 715 assaults on medical institutions have been reported.
"People are being denied of health treatment, and children are being deprived of an education, as a result of the strikes on civilian infrastructure. The capacity of residents in Ukraine to live is currently being attacked, according to Griffiths.
Since February, the UN Security Council has discussed Ukraine several times, but has been unable to take any concrete action. Along with China, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Russia is one of the five members of the 15-member council having veto power.
Moscow first said its goal was to "disarm" Ukraine so it wouldn't pose a threat to the country, but Kyiv and its supporters think the real goal is to topple Ukraine's pro-European government.
Both Ukraine's need and desire are for peace. more than any other nation. According to Sergiy Kyslytsya, the UN ambassador for Ukraine, "Our territory has been invaded.
Please bear this in mind whenever Moscow tries to convince us that the victim is the one who is resisting peace efforts rather than the aggressor.
Drone strikes this week on three air bases within Russian territory have alarmed the country, prompting President Vladimir Putin to call a meeting of his security council.
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