24 February 2026 – Four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and 12 years since the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and City of Sevastopopl, the war continues to inflict untold suffering on the Ukrainian people. Relentless attacks on civilians and widespread destruction of critical infrastructure continue, with the impact felt hardest by the most vulnerable: the elderly, children and people with limited mobility. Millions are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance as freezing winter temperatures intensify the crisis.
Repeated strikes on infrastructure such as energy and water systems have severely disrupted essential services. Freezing temperatures have further compounded civilian suffering. In some areas, prolonged power outages have caused indoor temperatures to fall to as low as five degrees Celsius, forcing people to seek survival in so-called “heating points” established by local authorities and humanitarian partners.
Approximately 10.8 million people – nearly one third of Ukraine’s population – currently require humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian operations continue under dangerous conditions, under constant threat of shelling, restricted access and unpredictable security conditions. Nevertheless, between January and September 2025, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners reached more than 4.2 million people with life-saving assistance across Ukraine.
Ukraine’s children are paying an extraordinary price in lives lost and upended. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that more than 3,200 children have been killed or injured since 24 February 2022. Schools and pre-schools have been damaged or destroyed by bombing and shelling, disrupting the education of children, with potentially lifelong consequences. The upheaval of war has created a particularly challenging situation for those living in institutions and children with disabilities. More than 5.1 million children have been displaced from their homes. UNICEF is working across Ukraine and in neighbouring host countries to support children displaced internally or living as refugees outside the country by providing access to safe water, health care, nutrition, education, child protection and mental health and psychosocial support.
Figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) show there are 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe with a further half a million beyond Europe, and 3.7 million people internally displaced, making it one of the largest displacement crises in the world.
More than 15,000 civilians including 766 children have been killed in Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) the total number of civilian casualties last year was 31 per cent higher than in 2024 and 70 per cent higher than in 2023.
Attacks using drones are having a devastating impact on the civilian population of some areas of the country. In a report published in September 2025, the Vienna-based Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found evidence that Russian armed forces have increasingly used short-range drones to deliberately target civilians and a wide array of civilian objects in three provinces of Ukraine. The Commission said the circumstances of the attacks show the perpetrators’ intention to kill, harm and destroy and amounted to crimes against humanity under international law.
Alarmed by the growing number of civilian casualties, including children, the Secretary-General has continued to call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire and reiterated his appeal for a “just, lasting and comprehensive peace” in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The members of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine will hold a hybrid press conference to launch a new report.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine invites individuals, groups and organizations to submit relevant information and documentation, preferably by 31 December 2025.
Members of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine will undertake their next visit to the country on 3 - 6 November 2025.
Russian armed forces have targeted civilians and a wide array of civilian objects using short-range drones in localities stretching over 300 kilometres along the right bank of the Dnipro River, said the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine in its latest update to the Human Rights Council.
"Land of Silence” is a documentary short film about humanitarian demining and mine action in Ukraine. The film aims to draw attention to the problem of contamination of Ukrainian territory with mines and other explosive ordnance through the personal stories of people involved in mine action, who daily work to make Ukrainian lands safe again. It also seeks to demonstrate the impact of demining on the lives of Ukrainians and emphasize the importance of joint efforts and international support for demining initiatives.
Four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and 12 years since the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and City of Sevastopopl, the war continues to inflict untold suffering on the Ukrainian people.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published its Emergency and Early Recovery Response Plan for Ukraine for 2026–2028, outlining priority actions to protect agricultural livelihoods, restore productive capacity and support Ukraine’s agrifood sector.
The latest Russian strikes reportedly damaged 12 buildings in the capital, causing widespread damage to homes, businesses and key services, while phones have been heard ringing from the rubble.
