UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for urgent action under the UN Charter and international law to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Türk spoke at a meeting on Ukraine held as part of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. He said the war, which began in February 2022, was continuing and expanding, describing it as a human rights catastrophe causing indescribable suffering to civilians.
Türk said the war posed the risk of an even greater catastrophe across the region and stated that immediate action based on the UN Charter and international law was needed to end the conflict.

Civilian casualties increased
Türk said cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war had been identified during the conflict. He said people living in Ukraine were under constant fear and anxiety.
Türk said approximately 15,280 civilians had been killed or injured in the first eight months of the year, corresponding to an average of more than 400 civilian casualties per week over 34 weeks. He said this figure was 55 percent higher than during the same period in 2025.
Civilian casualties in Russia
Türk said there had also been reports of rising civilian casualties in Russia. Russian authorities said that three people were killed and 41 injured in a large-scale missile and drone attack on Moscow on the night of September 20.

The United Nations could not independently verify these figures because it did not have access to the area.
Türk stressed the need to give new momentum to negotiations aimed at ending the war. He said the process should include human rights-based confidence-building measures that could reduce the impact of the conflict on civilians.