Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. Dicarlo
Remarks to the Security Council on Ukraine
New York, 24 August 2026
[as delivered]
Mr. President,
Today marks four and a half years since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
For four and a half years, this war has brought death, destruction and displacement on a devastating scale.
And the toll on civilians continues to rise.
In July, more civilians were killed in Ukraine than in any month since May 2022.
Even more disturbing, last month, at least 17 boys and girls were killed, and 166 more children were injured. This is the highest number of child casualties in one month since April 2022.
The number of civilian casualties reported in August thus far indicates that this deeply troubling trend is continuing.
Since our briefing to this Council last month, the Russian Federation has intensified large-scale strikes on Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region have again endured some of the heaviest bombardments to date.
Overnight on 19-20 August, the Russian Federation launched another large-scale attack involving ballistic missiles and long-range drones.
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 17 civilians were killed and more than 40 injured, while residential buildings, a school, a children’s hospital and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.
On 4-5 August, at least 18 civilians were killed and 61 injured in another attack, including eight people killed on a railway station platform in Brovarskyi district.
During the night of 31 July to 1 August, nine people were killed and 33 injured in Kyiv, according to information verified by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Beyond Kyiv, civilian casualties continue to be reported daily across the country.
Just yesterday, two people were reportedly killed and five injured in a Russian drone strike on a passenger train in Kharkiv Region.
On Friday, 21 August, 16 people were reportedly killed and at least 140 wounded in a Russian drone strike on the largest shopping center in the city of Kryvyi Rih. At least 23 children were reportedly among the injured.
This despicable attack was a so-called double tap strike with a second drone hitting the location just as the emergency workers rushed in to help.
The same day, in Mykolaiv region, four people, including three children were reportedly killed in a Russian drone strike that struck a building housing, a shop, a post office and a pharmacy.
In total, since February 2022, OHCHR has verified that at least 16,874 civilians, including 820 children, have been killed in Ukraine. 51,273 civilians, including 3,126 children, have been injured.
The actual figures are likely significantly higher.
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s strong condemnation of attacks by the Russian Federation against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General has also expressed his deep concern about the continued escalation of the conflict, including onto the territory of the Russian Federation.
In this regard, he condemned recent drone strikes that have reportedly caused multiple civilian casualties and destroyed civilian infrastructure in the Russian Federation.
Just this Saturday, six people were reportedly killed in an overnight Ukrainian drone attacks that hit energy, industrial and commercial warehouse facilities across the Russian Federation.
Earlier, in one of the deadliest incidents, on 10 August, Russian authorities reported that 13 people were killed and 78 injured in a drone attack in Nizhnekamsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Earlier this month, on 3 August, Russian authorities reported that eight civilians were killed and at least 58 others injured, including children, when drone debris fell on a beach in Krasnodar region.
In total, from January to July 2026, Russian authorities reported 329 civilians killed and 2,197 injured in the Russian Federation. This represents a 119 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
International humanitarian law is clear. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited, wherever they occur. They must stop immediately.
Mr. President,
The impacts of the war continue to be felt in the broader region.
Incidents of airspace incursions in neighboring countries are becoming more frequent. Recently, Latvia, Moldova and Romania were affected.
I also want to express our deep concern at the continuing widespread attacks in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov,despite global calls to protect freedom of navigation.
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s ports, grain and shipping infrastructure, as well as on civilian vessels, have sharply curtailed commercial shipping, including of vital grain, to and from Ukraine. With agriculture accounting for approximately 60 percent of Ukraine's exports, and around seven percent of its GDP, these attacks pose a serious threat to Ukraine’s economic stability.
Ukrainian attacks have also caused damage to Russian vessels, ports and grain facilities.
These strikes are a stark reminder of the persistent global consequences of the war.
Prolonged disruption to maritime exports risks driving up food prices and add an additional burden on developing countries who are dependent on imports and already struggling with food insecurity.
The warning signs are already visible. According to theFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO), international cereal prices rose by 3.4 per cent in July.
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call on all concerned to ensure freedom of navigation, in accordance with international law, and to protect civilian ports and maritime infrastructure.
Such attacks must stop to prevent yet another dangerous escalation.
Mr. President,
We welcome the recent exchange of prisoners of war on 19 August, which brought home 103 captives from each side.
However, we remain gravely concerned about the detention of remaining prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
OHCHR continues to document widespread torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees held by the Russian Federation.
All those interviewed described having endured torture or ill-treatment, often on a regular basis. The interviews further indicate that sexual violence remains prevalent.
OHCHR has recorded the death of 48 Ukrainian prisoners of war since the start of the full-scale invasion because of torture or ill-treatment in places of internment.
At the same time, approximately half of the Russian prisoners of war interviewed by OHCHR have provided accounts of torture or ill-treatment.
We remind the sides of their obligations under international humanitarian law. All prisoners of war must be treated humanely.
We urge redoubled efforts to secure and release all of the remaining captives, for their sake and for that of their families.
Mr. President,
Today marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
At this extraordinarily difficult moment in the country’s history, the United Nations continues to stand in full solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
We reaffirm our consistent, principled and unwavering commitment to, and respect for, the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
On this day, our thoughts are with the millions of Ukrainians whose lives have been upended by the war. Those who have lost loved ones, those driven from their homes, and those who continue to live under the daily threat of violence.
Beyond the immense human cost in Ukraine, and increasingly, in the Russian Federation, this war continues to undermine regional peace and security.
It remains an affront to the fundamental principles that underpin international peace and security, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
Four and half years after the full-scale invasion began, the need to end this war could not be more urgent.
The path to peace will not be easy.
But the alternative, a continuing cycle of death, destruction, suffering and ever-greater escalation, is intolerable.
Without immediate steps to end the current dangerous spiral, starting with ceasing all attacks against population centres, millions of Ukrainians face the prospect of yet another bleak, cold and deadly winter.
We must mobilize every available diplomatic effort to de-escalate the conflict and achieve a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, leading to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with international law, the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions.
The United Nations stands ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
Thank you, Mr. President.