May was deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine in four years, UN Security Council told

This was stated at a meeting of the UN Security Council by Mohamed Khaled Khiari , the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, according to Ukrinform’s correspondent on the ground.

 He said that on June 17, Russia launched another massive strike against Ukraine. The Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions came under fire.

Khiari emphasized that sites of exceptional historical and cultural value were damaged. In particular, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was struck. The day before, a drone struck the Kharkiv Art Museum.

 According to UNESCO, more than 530 cultural sites have been damaged in Ukraine since February 2022.

 Citing data from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Assistant Secretary-General noted that at least 274 civilians were killed in Ukraine in May, and another 1,763 were wounded.

“This is the highest monthly toll of deaths and injuries since April 2022,” the official emphasized.

In total, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN has confirmed the deaths of at least 16,126 civilians, including 796 children. A total of 46,590 civilians have been injured, including 2,835 children. According to Khiari, the actual figures are likely much higher.

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He also drew attention to the consequences of the war for the civilian population within the Russian Federation and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, particularly in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Khiari called for immediate de-escalation and the resumption of diplomatic efforts to achieve a complete, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire and a just and lasting peace in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant resolutions.

As reported by Ukrinform, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the latest shelling of Ukraine, particularly the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.