GENEVA - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine's power network at the weekend that inflicted further misery on civilians, with missile and long-range drone attacks affecting at least 15 regions across the country, as well as Kyiv.
"These latest attacks on energy installations are yet another cruel blow to civilians who have already endured so much," said Türk, noting that on Tuesday, Ukraine marks the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion.
"A winter power shortage will place the health and well-being of civilians, particularly older people, those with disabilities, low-income families, and the internally displaced, at grave risk," he added.
Nine previous waves of attacks against Ukraine's energy facilities had left millions of Ukrainians without electricity over the summer, and the country grappling with a projected energy shortfall as winter approaches.
The High Commissioner again called on the Russian Federation to meet its international obligations under the UN Charter, the order of the International Court of Justice and other applicable law, and to cease immediately its armed attack and withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine.
"It has been 1,000 days too many of senseless pain and suffering since Russia's full-scale armed attack on Ukraine began. Violations of human rights have become the order of the day, both in the conduct of hostilities and in areas under occupation," said Türk. "Russia's ongoing armed attack, as well as intensified collective efforts to end it. must remain a central focus of the global agenda."
At least 12,162 civilians have been killed since the Russian full-scale armed attack began on 24 February 2022 - among them 659 children. At least another 26,919 civilians have been injured.
Ninety-two per cent of civilian casualties have been the result of the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects. Ukraine is also now one of the most heavily mined countries globally. Explosive remnants of war pose ongoing dangers for civilians and are hindering recovery efforts.
Numerous towns - including Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vovchansk - have been almost entirely destroyed. Across the country more than 662 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed, limiting access to healthcare.
According to the latest figures from the UN Human Rights Office's Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, civilian deaths and injuries in the three months to the end of September this year were the highest recorded since July 2022. Close to 2,000 drones were launched by Russian forces into Ukraine in October alone - an average of more than 60 per day.
The High Commissioner also expressed concern at the human rights situation in occupied parts of Ukraine. Russian forces now occupy around one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
"Repression, violence and impunity have become more deeply entrenched in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, with residents living in a pervasive state of fear, marked by surveillance and undue restrictions on their rights to freedom of expression and movement," he said.
Ukrainian administrative, justice, education and other public sector systems have been systematically dismantled and replaced with Russian systems. The Ukrainian curriculum has been banned and replaced with the Russian curriculum, while young Ukrainians have been enrolled in youth organizations promoting patriotism to Russia.
