The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine, as massive Russian missile and drone attacks have caused heavy civilian casualties and displacement of people.

The meeting was requested by Ukraine in a letter on 17 June, with Council members Denmark, France, Greece, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia and the United Kingdom supporting the request to hold the meeting.

Assistant Secretary General for Political and Peacekeeping Affairs Miroslav Yedza described “uninterrupted, large-scale Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and towns”, noting the deadly attack in Kiev on the night of 16-17 June, when “Russian drones and missiles struck seven districts of Kiev, killing at least 28 civilians and injuring more than 130.”

Rescuers, he said, struggled all night to extricate residents from the rubble of a nine-story apartment building, with many still missing.

The scale of the Russian attacks went beyond Kiev’s borders, with Yenza reporting that “Odessa, Zaporizhzhya, Chernihiv, Zhitomir, Kirovohrad, Mikolayiv and Kiev regions were also attacked with over 428 drones and missiles.”

In Odessa, two civilians were killed and dozens injured. The intensity of the long-range attacks led to a dramatic increase in civilian casualties, with Yenza noting that “in the first five months of 2025 alone, civilian casualties in Ukraine reached 5,144, with 859 killed and 4,285 wounded,” representing a 47% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

In addition to the attacks in Ukraine, Yenya reported unconfirmed information about Ukrainian drone attacks in the Russian Kursk region. He reiterated that “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited by international humanitarian law, wherever they occur. We condemn all such attacks. They must be stopped immediately.”

Despite the unfavorable developments, Yenya noted some diplomatic progress, referring to the June 2 talks in Istanbul between Ukrainian and Russian delegations. The negotiations led to agreements “on massive exchanges of prisoners of war, dead and captured civilians,” with the latest exchange taking place on the day of the briefing.

Yenza welcomed these exchanges, noting that “these efforts are providing answers to many families who have been living in uncertainty about their loved ones.”

OCHA Operations Director Edem Washornu, updating on the humanitarian situation, confirmed the alarming trend, noting that “daily waves of missile and drone attacks continue to take a devastating toll, particularly in frontline areas.”

He added that the recent attack in Kiev was “the deadliest in almost a year, with more than 12 people killed and over 100 wounded”, while Ukrainian authorities reported the use of cluster bombs. In Odessa, it said, attacks hit a kindergarten and a center for children with special needs.

Wosornu warned that “nearly 50 percent more civilians have been killed and wounded in Ukraine in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.”

He underlined the extent of the risk from explosive remnants, noting that “over 20% of Ukrainian land is contaminated by unexploded mines or munitions, making Ukraine the most heavily contaminated country since World War II.”

Humanitarian aid workers are also at increasing risk, with 68 incidents of violence recorded in 2025, leading to “two dead and 24 injured workers,” according to her. Some 1.5 million civilians remain unable to reach occupied areas due to obstruction of humanitarian access.

Despite the challenges, humanitarian operations continue. Washornu concluded by asking the Council to prioritize the protection of civilians, ensure sustained funding and “end this war, and until then, ensure that humanitarian concerns are a central part of any discussion of a ceasefire or long-term agreement.”

Greek Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris condemned the recent Russian attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, as well as any attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, stressing the need for accountability for those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law.

He called on Russia to respond to the calls of the majority of the international community and to take the decisive first step towards accepting a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as a precondition for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.

He also praised the work of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and all humanitarian organizations operating in Ukraine and called for their full, safe and unhindered access to areas of greatest need.

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andriy Melnik, described the personal cost of the war waged by Russia, with his family in Kiev living under the constant threat of attacks by Russian missiles and Iranian drones.

He referred to a strike a few days earlier, on June 17, when a Russian X-101 missile struck a residential building, killing 20 civilians – mothers, fathers and children – instantly. His mother, she said, who lives nearby, called him immediately after the blast, her voice trembling as she prayed to survive, unsure if she would ever see her son’s face again.

She vividly described the constant fear experienced by Ukrainian families, stressing that even homes, kitchens, playgrounds, hospitals and schools have become battlefields in a “war of annihilation” waged by Russia. “This Russian war is being waged in the bedrooms… pure terror that never sleeps, terror that steals tomorrow before it is even dawn,” he said.

He appealed to the Council, urging members to imagine their own families in similar danger, calling for an end to this senseless and barbaric Russian attack.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, condemned the Russian actions, stating that “Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians when it should be doing the exact opposite, ending the war.”

He confirmed that “one of the dead was an American citizen, the first US casualty in this war” and stressed that Russia has already launched “over 3,300 drones and is estimated to launch nearly 6,000 killer drones” in June alone.

It further condemned the use of cluster bombs, citing media reports and impact assessments.

Shea also accused third countries of supporting the Russian war machine: “We further condemn Iran for supplying drones and Shahed missiles to Russia, and North Korea for transferring ammunition, missiles and troops to Russia,” she said.