UN News Today 08 January 2025 |

Ukrainians in grip of third winter of escalating Russian attacks

Russian forces continue to subject Ukraine’s people to “relentless attacks” by aerial glide bombs, long-range missiles and drones, in a bid to capture further territory in the east of the country, the UN’s deputy human rights chief said on Wednesday.

In a scheduled update – mandated by the Council in Geneva – Nada Al-Nashif said that these attacks led to the deaths of 574 civilians – an increase of 30 per cent over the previous year.

Ms. Al-Nashif said that Ukrainian prisoners of war had told UN monitors of being subjected to widespread and systematic torture … severe beatings, electric shocks, strangulation…sexual violence, including rape and forced nudity:

“I am deeply concerned by a significant increase in credible allegations of executions of Ukrainian military personnel captured by Russian armed forces. Summary executions constitute a war crime. The Office recorded 62 such executions in 19 separate incidents during the reporting period and we have verified five of these incidents.”

The Russian delegation rejected the Deputy High Commissioner’s allegations and accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out “terrorist acts on homes in various Russian regions”.

The Ukrainian representative condemned ongoing deadly attacks by Russian forces; one on New Year’s Eve involved 100 drones that left two dead and seven injured, she said, including two pregnant women in the capital, Kyiv.

Ms. Al-Nashif also noted that Russian prisoners of war held by Ukraine reported being subjected to torture, severe beatings, sexual violence and dog attacks, mostly in places of transit before reaching official places of internment.

Three key challenges for Syria, says UN’s emergency relief chief

To UN headquarters in New York, where the Security Council has been debating what role the international community should play following the overthrow of the Assad regime on 8 December.

The UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, highlighted three priorities: first, the need to preserve and rebuild the country’s services, which have been shattered after 14 years of civil conflict.

Around 15 million Syrians now need health services and close to 13 million face “acute food insecurity”, he said.

The second priority should be to ensure the protection of civilians, the UN relief chief said, noting that at least 7.6 million people remain displaced, with two million sheltering in camps in northwest Syria alone.

Mr. Fletcher insisted that the third priority for Syria after 14 years of war should be to ensure that women and girls “are not marginalized by those vying for power” in Damascus.

He described meeting Zainab, whose husband was held for years at the notorious Sednaya prison outside the capital and who had just received his death certificate. She “wants to see her children complete their education”, the UN relief chief said, while also reporting that as the security situation has stabilized, aid teams “have been able to resume…humanitarian operations at greater scale”.

In December, 298 trucks carrying UN relief supplies reached Syria through border crossings with Türkiye, which is as many as crossed during the previous six months, Mr. Fletcher said.

Gaza: More than 70 children killed since 1 January, says UNICEF

At least 74 children have reportedly been killed in nighttime attacks and other violence across the Gaza Strip in the first seven days of 2025.

That’s according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which highlighted several recent “mass casualty events” in the war-torn enclave.

These have included overnight attacks in Gaza City, Khan Younis and the coastal tented settlement of Al Mawasi – which Israeli authorities unilaterally designated a “safe zone”.

The latest attack on Tuesday saw five children reportedly killed in Al Mawasi. With more, here’s UNICEF Communications Specialist Rosalia Bollen:

“It’s not just the bombs and the bullets that kill, it’s also the living conditions that put lives of children at risk in Gaza; they’re deprived of everything, really. They’re deprived of warm shelter, basic shelter, which is a must with these winter temperatures. They’re deprived of access to nutritious food, to healthcare, to clean water, to education, and they’re just stuck in this, this permanent state of fear.”

UNICEF has warned that the continued lack of basic shelter items combined with harsh winter temperatures pose serious threats to children.

More than a million youngsters live in makeshift tents in Gaza, where they face “extreme risks”, the UN agency said. It said that since 26 December, eight infants and newborns have reportedly died from hypothermia.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

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