Damage from Russia's war in Ukraine will be felt for generations: UN

Russia's war in Ukraine has exacted a terrible human cost and inflicted suffering on millions, the United Nations rights chief said ahead of its second anniversary.

The damage caused by the war would be felt for generations, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday, renewing his call for Moscow to stop the war immediately.

"The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has exacted a horrific human cost, inflicting immense suffering on millions of civilians," Turk said.

"Russia's full-scale armed attack on Ukraine, which is about to enter its third year with no end in sight, continues to cause serious and widespread human rights violations, destroying lives and livelihoods," Turk said.

Turk called for thorough and independent investigations into all violations in the conflict and said victims should be afforded accountability and reparations.

Violation of human rights

He said millions of Ukrainians had been displaced, thousands had lost their homes, and hundreds of hospitals and schools had been damaged or destroyed.

"The long-term impact of this war in Ukraine will be felt for generations," he said.

Turk's office said that over the past two years it had documented "widespread torture, ill-treatment and arbitrary detention of civilians by Russian armed forces".

"Summary executions, enforced disappearances and repression of the right to freedom of expression and assembly have also been documented in occupied territory," it added.

The UN Human Rights Office said it had also documented violations committed by Ukrainian military and security forces, "albeit a fraction of the scope of those perpetrated by Russian forces".

Over 10,000 deaths verified

In its latest report, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it had been able to corroborate the conflict-related deaths of 10,582 civilians since February 24, 2022.

It verified that a further 19,875 civilians had been wounded.

"The actual numbers are likely significantly higher," it said.

The casualties include 587 killed and 1,298 injured children. Men account for 60 percent of adult civilian casualties.

Around 91 percent of the civilian casualties were caused by explosive weapons with wide area effects — shelling, missiles and air strikes — the vast majority likely fired by Russian armed forces, the report said.

The Kremlin has "silenced civil society, independent media, and any anti-war expression", she said, with "ostentatious trials designed to instil fear and lengthy arbitrary imprisonments aimed at stifling dissent".