Published on: 2026-06-23
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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June 22, 2026 Peace and Security
The UN Security Council convened on Monday for an emergency meeting requested by Ukraine with the support of European Council members. Against the backdrop of intensified hostilities and a rising number of civilian casualties, UN representatives reported on a new large-scale strike, damage to cultural heritage sites, and a worsening humanitarian situation.
Assistant to the Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Pacific countries Khaled Khiari reminded that on June 15, the Russian Federation carried out another massive strike on Ukraine. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions came under fire. According to reports, five people were killed in Kyiv, and another 30, including children, were wounded.
Serious damage was inflicted on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. According to UNESCO data, since February 2022, more than 530 cultural sites have been damaged in Ukraine. In Kharkiv, five emergency service workers who arrived at the site of a previous attack were killed as a result of the strike. Prior to this, a drone damaged the Kharkiv Art Museum, injuring a baby and four other people.
Number of victims
“Daily attacks continue. Literally yesterday evening as a result of a missile strike on Odessa, according to available data, one person died, three more were injured,” declared Hiari. “On June 19, drones attacked foreign civilian vessels in the port of Odessa, it is reported that one crew member died and two others were injured.”
A UN representative reminded that May became the deadliest month for the civilian population of Ukraine since April 2022. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, at least 16,126 civilians have been confirmed killed, including 796 children. Injuries were reported for 46,590 people, including 2,835 children. The actual figures, as emphasized by the UN, are likely significantly higher.
Restoration of Ukraine
Chiari reminds that this week in Polish Gdańsk the annual Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine will take place, aimed at activating international efforts to support the restoration and reconstruction of the country.
He emphasized that the UN will continue to support the people of Ukraine on the long road to recovery, noting the importance of the full participation of women both in the recovery process and in decision-making that defines the country’s future. At the same time, the UN representative stressed that sustainable recovery is possible only with a broader vision of the world and political resolution of the conflict.
Humanitarian situation
Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, the representative of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Edem Vosornu, stated that in recent weeks the suffering of the peaceful population of Ukraine has only intensified.
She noted that the UN human rights monitoring mission in the country documented strikes on ambulances, rescuers, and humanitarian workers.
The use of short-range drones along the frontline causes particular concern. According to the mission’s data, in May the number of dead and wounded as a result of drone attacks turned out to be the highest since the beginning of the full-scale war. At the same time, the camera-equipped devices allow operators to see the target in real time mode.
Attacks on the territory of Russia
“We are also concerned about the increasing impact of the war on the civilian population in the Russian Federation,” Hiari added. “Just today, according to available data, three people were injured as a result of a missile strike on a factory in Voronezh.”
According to received information, on June 18, as a result of a strike by Ukrainian drones on Moscow and the Moscow region, which Russian authorities called the largest since the beginning of the war, 17 people were wounded, including children. Damage to an oil refining facility, residential buildings, and a large shopping center has been reported.
According to Russian and Belarusian authorities, on June 17 a drone attacked a bus with a Belarusian youth football team in Bryansk region. It is reported that a pregnant woman died and seven people were injured, five of whom are children.
According to Russian officials, on June 15 in the Tula region, as a result of drone attacks, three people died, and three others were injured, including an infant. According to Russian authorities, in the first five months of 2026, 184 civilians were killed and 1,175 were injured in various regions of the country.
Vosornu expressed concern about reports of casualties among the civilian population, damage to infrastructure, and the related environmental risk in the territory of the Russian Federation, including Moscow. It noted that the UN’s lack of ability to conduct on-site monitoring does not diminish the seriousness of the incoming reports.
The UKR representative reminded that the norms of international humanitarian law equally apply to all parties of the conflict, regardless of the location of the military operations. According to her, all participants in the war are obliged to observe the principles of distinction between military and civilian objects, proportionality, and the adoption of precautionary measures to protect the civilian population.
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