UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for the diplomatic process to be accelerated to end the Russia-Ukraine war, saying a solution must be pursued on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.
Türk spoke at a meeting on Ukraine held as part of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. Saying that the war that began in February 2022 was continuing and expanding, Türk described the conflict as a human rights catastrophe inflicting unimaginable suffering on civilians.
Türk said the war posed a risk of an even greater catastrophe across the region and stressed that immediate action was needed to end the fighting. He called for renewed momentum in negotiations and urged that the process be grounded in human rights and include confidence-building measures to reduce the impact of the conflict on civilians.
Civilian casualties rise in Ukraine
Türk said cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war had been identified during the war. He said people living in Ukraine were in a state of constant fear and anxiety.
Türk said approximately 15,280 civilians had been killed or injured in the first eight months of the year, amounting to an average of more than 400 civilian casualties per week over 34 weeks. He noted that the figure was 55 percent higher than during the same period in 2025.
Figures on the Moscow attack
Türk said there were reports that civilian casualties had also risen in Russia. He said that, according to Russian authorities, three people were killed and 41 injured in a large-scale missile and drone attack on Moscow on the night of September 20.
The United Nations could not independently verify these figures on the Moscow attack because it had no access to the area.
