Security Council officials condemn attacks on civilians at emergency UN session

The United Nations Security Council convened on June 8 to discuss Russia's recent large-scale attacks on Ukraine, as U.N. officials warned that civilian casualties and destruction have reached some of the highest levels seen in the war in recent months.

Indrika Ratwatte, the acting U.N. humanitarian chief, said that at least 30 civilians were killed and more than 200 injured across Ukraine between June 5 and June 8 alone, warning that the scale and intensity of attacks on major cities continues to increase.

He also noted that 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance, while less than half of the necessary funding has been secured.

"Do not allow this level of civilian harm and suffering to become the new normal," Ratwatte told Security Council members, urging countries to use their influence to protect civilians and support humanitarian operations.

Several countries condemned Russia's continued strikes and backed President Volodymyr Zelensky's calls for a ceasefire and direct talks.

Denmark's U.N. ambassador, Christina Markus Lassen, said that Ukraine has been offering an "immediate, unconditional and comprehensive ceasefire" for more than a year, and German Ambassador Ricklef Johannes Beutin questioned Russia's refusal to engage in peace efforts.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen added that Russia had failed to achieve its objectives despite years of war and warned that Moscow was escalating attacks against Ukrainian cities while openly threatening civilians and diplomats.

"Peace cannot be built on aggression, coercion or the subjugation of a people," she said.

Ukraine's U.N. ambassador Andrii Melnyk said Russia's attacks against civilians had set a "grim new record" since the beginning of June and stressed that "no military necessity can ever justify this barbarism."

He also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for rejecting Zelensky's recent proposal for a direct meeting between the two leaders.

Russia's U.N. envoy Vasily Nebenzya rejected accusations that Moscow targets civilians, insisting that Russian forces conduct "highly targeted" strikes against military infrastructure and claiming civilian casualties are caused by Ukrainian air defenses.

He also dismissed Zelensky's recent appeal for talks as a "clumsy provocation."

The emergency meeting followed two major Russian aerial assaults launched one week apart on May 24 and June 2, which struck Kyiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities, killing dozens of civilians and injuring hundreds more.

Most Security Council members argued that the latest attacks demonstrate the urgent need for a ceasefire and renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war.