Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s assessment that the ongoing war “is a stain on our collective conscience,” UN aid officials emphasized the immense human and economic cost of the conflict, while appealing to the world to “never get used to war.”
Reports on Tuesday indicated that Russian drone strikes injured at least five people in the frontline city of Zaporizhzhia in the southeast of the country.with apartment blocks and public facilities affected.
“We are witnessing the devastating impact of systematic attacks on energy infrastructure that have disrupted electricity, heating and water supplies across the country, in some cases leaving entire cities without electricity and water supplies for weeks,” said Matthias Schmale, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, speaking from kyiv.
The deadliest year
According to Schmale, 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the large-scale invasion in 2022. Data shows that at least 2,500 civilians were killed and more than 12,000 injured last year, an increase of more than 30 percent compared to 2024.
His comments came ahead of a special emergency session of the General Assembly taking place in New York later Tuesday.
The countries were expected to take action on a draft resolution that included a call for a ceasefire and confidence-building measures, such as the full exchange of prisoners of war, the release of all illegally detained persons, and the return of all internees and forcibly transferred and deported civilians, including children.
The UN Security Council was also scheduled to meet to discuss the ongoing war.
“This war must finally end… Any peace agreement must be based on the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” Ms. Baerbock said, highlighting the ever-present threat of death to civilians.
killing time
“They told me to count to 40 and if you are still alive, you obviously made it because with the rockets being fired over the border, in many places there is no time to find a safer place,” Baerbock said, recounting the testimony of a teenage girl she met while visiting Kharkiv, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Russian territory.
Calling on the international community to “work every day for peace” and amid reports of new peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the Swiss city on Thursday, Ms. Baerbock reiterated the need for a “immediate, total and unconditional ceasefire”which respected the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.
The Veterans Challenge
Addressing the challenges that are part of the reconstruction and recovery process in Ukraine, Mr. Schmale said there are up to one million veterans who need to be reintegrated into Ukrainian society, many of whom have suffered lifelong injuries, including amputations.
He also stressed that Ukraine is “among the most mined countries in the world,” with almost a quarter of its territory potentially contaminated by landmines.
Referring to a “rapid report on damage and needs” presented Monday by the UN in conjunction with the Ukrainian government, the World Bank and the European Union, Schmale said the estimated costs of recovery are “a staggering $590 billion over a 10-year horizon, which is equivalent to three times Ukraine’s GDP (gross domestic product) last year.”
What this type of report fails to fully capture is “the destruction of the lives of human beings and their souls and their mental well-being,” Schmale said.