Guterres condemns Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and expresses concern over losses in Russia

Condemnation of escalation in shelling of Ukrainian cities

UN Secretary-General António Guterres made new statements regarding the situation of the war of Russia against Ukraine. As reported by the Secretary-General's spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, the head of the UN "firmly condemned" the intensification of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.

"The Secretary-General firmly condemns the escalation of daily attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro and other Ukrainian cities," Dujarric noted.

According to him, these strikes are causing a record number of casualties among the civilian population and inflicting significant damage to civilian infrastructure. The spokesperson paid particular attention to the damage to critical energy facilities, which is of great importance ahead of the winter period.

Concern over civilian losses in Russia

At the same time, António Guterres is "deeply concerned" about the growing number of civilian casualties resulting from the intensification of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory of the Russian Federation. In particular, the Secretary-General mentioned the recent strikes in the area of Saint Petersburg.

"All attacks directed against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure must cease, wherever they occur. Violations of international humanitarian law must be stopped immediately," the UN spokesperson emphasised.

Humanitarian aid and incident in Kherson

Stéphane Dujarric added that the UN, together with humanitarian partners, continues to assist with the evacuation of the population from frontline areas of Ukraine and to support people who are leaving these territories due to hostilities. He noted that humanitarian operations continue despite increasing security risks and attacks on civilian and humanitarian infrastructure.

Separately, the spokesperson drew attention to Sunday's shelling, which damaged the premises of the Ukrainian Red Cross in Kherson, and stated that the UN is concerned about this incident.