On February 3, DiCarlo addressed the UN Security Council, convened at the request of Moscow following an attack on the Russian-controlled town of Lysychansk in the Luhanks region of Ukraine that killed 28 people.
Noting that Russian attacks have intensified in Ukrainian-controlled areas over the past few weeks, DiCarlo said, “There has been a significant increase in violence over the past week, with more than 570 settlements targeted, primarily in the Zaporozhia region. The attacks killed 12 civilians and injured 60 others.”
DiCarlo shared the data of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) that since the start of the war in February 2022, 10,382 people, including 579 children, have lost their lives and 19,659 people, including 1285 children, have been injured in various ways in Ukraine.
“Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law”
The Deputy Secretary-General noted that civilian casualties in Ukraine, which had been on a downward trend throughout 2023, “began to increase again significantly” in December.
“I must emphasize once again that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are contrary to international law. They are unacceptable and must stop immediately,” Dicarlo said.
Reminding that the war in question will enter its third year in about 2 weeks, DiCarlo noted that there is no indication yet that this war, which has caused millions of Ukrainians to flee their country, is “nearing its end”.
