17 November 2024 Peace and Security

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the latest Russian drone and missile attack against the power grid and critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, his Spokesperson said on Sunday.

The large-scale strikes occurred overnight and reportedly caused severe damage, power outages and civilian casualties.

“Attacks on energy infrastructure will only increase the suffering of civilians with the looming winter weather,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a note to journalists.

“Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law.  Any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately,” he added.

Grim milestone approaches

Tuesday will mark 1,000 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

During this time, civilian infrastructure has been decimated, with over 2,000 attacks on healthcare facilities and two million damaged homes, while some 65 per cent of energy production capacity has been destroyed, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale.

Speaking in Geneva on Friday, he said almost 40 per cent of the population need humanitarian assistance and one of the top concerns is for people living in high-rise buildings who face their third consecutive freezing winter because of “systematic attacks” on energy infrastructure.

The UN Security Council will hold a Ministerial-level briefing on Ukraine on Monday, just ahead of the 1,000-day mark.