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UN rights chief says Ukraine is ‘human rights emergency’

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About 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian help because of Russia’s all-out war against the country, including 9.3 million who require food and livelihood assistance, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Dec. 9, cited by CNN. According to Turk, 7.4 million people in Ukraine have fled the war abroad, and 6.5 million have become internally displaced.

The Commissioner said that Ukrainians are suffering from regular missile attacks and destroyed civilian infrastructure.

“The energy sector is heavily affected, the heating system, the electricity grid, there are people who live in sub-zero temperatures without heating, and without electricity,” he added.

Russia unleashed another large-scale missile barrage on Ukraine on Dec. 5, targeting energy infrastructure across the country. The strikes led to emergency power outages in all Ukrainian oblasts, according to the state grid operator Ukrenergo.

Russian forces have been attacking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure since early October, admitting that the country’s energy facilities are its primary goal.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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