Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk today (26 May) “strongly condemned Russia’s escalating attacks” against civilians, civilian objects, and Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure, as they “constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and must cease immediately” and called for “a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”
Melnyk, together with ambassadors from 49 member states and the European Union, told reporters in New York that “on the night of May 23rd to May 24th, Russian armed forces launched one of the largest combined attacks against Ukraine, employing hundreds of aerial weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.”
For the city of Kyiv, he said, “this was one of the most devastating attacks recorded to date” while “other regions of Ukraine were also severely affected” and “many civilians have been killed and injured across Ukraine.”
Moreover, Melnyk continued, “the Russian Federation appears to have struck the city of Bila Tserkva with an Oreshnik medium range ballistic missile specifically designed to carry nuclear warheads.”
He said, “Russia’s repeated use of nuclear capable missiles constitutes an unacceptable escalation.”
The Ukrainian Ambassador said Russia’s “ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine constitutes a grave and continuing violation of the Charter of the United Nations, and of fundamental principles of international law, and undermines the rules based international order as well as international peace and security.”
He welcomed “the sustained efforts of the United States, European countries and other member states aimed at bringing this war to an end” and said, “we stand united in our determination to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine consistent with the UN charter, including the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states.”
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Security Council
Ukraine
UNIFIL
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ebola
Sudan/Personal Envoy
Sudan
Haiti
Pakistan
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Secretary-General briefed the Security Council this morning on the importance of upholding the UN Charter. He said that the United Nations Charter is a survival guide for humanity, but today, the purposes and principles of the Charter are under profound strain. We now face the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres warned.
The Secretary-General said that he was deeply concerned by a recent announcement by the Russian Federation to launch consistent and systemic strikes against Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as against decision making centres and command posts, following reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on a college building and dormitory in the Ukrainian city of Starobilsk, presently occupied by the Russian Federation. He noted that on Friday, we condemned the attack on the school, as we condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur.
Now more than ever, he said, it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians, and that risks making the search for peace even more distant, prolonging the suffering of people.
The Secretary-General added that this takes place as Israel has announced an escalation of its operations in Lebanon, we witness constant violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and the result of negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the conflict in the Gulf remain unpredictable.
He told the Council that there is a need for reform and nowhere is this need more urgent than in the Security Council. A Security Council that does not reflect the geopolitical realities of today’s world cannot fully deliver on its responsibilities, he said.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that over the weekend, the capital Kyiv and its neighbouring regions suffered from one of the largest combined air attacks on the country since the start of the full-scale war in 2022. There were scores of civilian casualties and civilian infrastructure sustained widespread damage.
According to authorities, an attack in Kyiv on Sunday killed at least 2 people and injured nearly 90 others, including several children, and destroyed or damaged residential buildings, a market, a trading centre, a subway station and other public spaces, including museums and other cultural sites.
The Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, visited one of the impacted sites in Kyiv and called for an end to civilian harm.
A drone struck a residential building next to UN offices, damaging the windows and facade of the business centre, including the World Health Organization office. Thankfully, no civilians, including aid workers, were injured in this incident.
Between January and April, at least 62 incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies and facilities were recorded across the country, according to our partners monitoring access constraints and operational risks.
Apart from Kyiv, attacks across the country and front-line hostilities between May 22nd and the early hours of May 25th killed nearly 20 and injured over 200 more civilians, with the regions of Kherson, Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk reportedly repeatedly impacted.
Humanitarians provided immediate emergency support after the attacks. In Kyiv City and the regions of Kyiv and Cherkasy, several national NGOs, with support from UN agencies, provided psychological support, legal assistance, protection counselling and emergency supplies to people affected by the attacks. Aid organizations also registered people for humanitarian cash assistance.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-05-26
Remarks by His Excellency Mr. Dr. Andrii Melnyk, LL.M., Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, on Russia’s deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Remarks by António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, on the Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system – Security Council, 10159th meeting.
With their new, specialized personal protective equipment, Zambian women peacekeepers serving with MINUSCA, the UN mission in the Central African Republic, are able to carry out their mandated tasks more comfortably and safely.
The "Women’s Body Armor Quadrilateral Pilot Project", launched in 2023 by the U.S., Netherlands, Ghana, and Zambia, is a $3 million initiative that tests properly fitting body armor for women peacekeepers to improve safety and operational effectiveness.
Ahead of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we recognize the vital role of women peacekeepers in advancing protection, security, and stability around the world.
A landmark gathering of more than 57,000 participants – the largest in the history of the World Urban Forum – closed on Friday in Baku with an urgent call to rethink how the world houses its people, as a new roadmap urges governments, cities and communities to act collectively on a crisis affecting billions. UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed warned that the Forum was taking place at a difficult moment for global cooperation. The housing crisis sits at the crossroads of nearly every major global challenge – from poverty and inequality to climate change, conflict and instability.
Recently returned from a visit to Gaza, Dr. Renee Van de Weerdt, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, briefs reporters in Geneva about the dire humanitarian situation marked by continuing violence. Dr. Van de Weerd highlights the work of national humanitarian colleagues who cannot leave Gaza, continuing to support communities amid collapsing health services, daily danger, and increasingly difficult living conditions.
Briefing by Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on threats to international peace and security.
—
Also briefing the Council, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said:
“The need for this discussion could not be more urgent. The war in Ukraine continues to rage and devastate children’s lives. According to reports, last night drone strikes hit a dormitory housing at least 86 adolescents aged 14-18, in the town of Starobilsk in the Luhansk region. The attack reportedly left six dead and dozens of others injured, including children. It is too early to know the full extent of the casualties, as we understand rescue operations are still unfolding. This is yet another example of children paying the price for a war that is not of their own making. According to verified UN data, more than 3,400 children have now been killed or injured since the escalation of the war in 2022.”
Briefing by Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, on threats to international peace and security.
—-
Also briefing the Council, Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, said, “When schools are damaged or destroyed, the consequences extend far beyond the immediate loss of infrastructure, sometimes of life too.”
