UN rights chief Türk: "I fear the worst for civilians in Ukraine"
Attacks on civilians are probably at their highest level since 2024, Volker Türk said in New York. Russia is now also striking railway lines and supermarkets.
Archive image · Photo: EU2018BG Bulgarian Presidency / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned of a further deterioration in Ukraine. "I fear the worst for civilians in Ukraine over the coming weeks and months," he said in New York on Wednesday in response to a question from Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. The number of attacks against civilians has increased and "is probably now at its highest level since 2024."
Türk said civilians are suffering especially from drone attacks, which have changed the nature of warfare. Russian strikes are no longer aimed only at the energy sector but also at railway tracks and supermarkets. He called the escalation "clearly illogical" and urged major efforts to end "this madness". Human rights must be part of any ceasefire or peace negotiations, he said. "There is no empathy for the plight of civilians in Ukraine," Türk lamented.
According to Ukrinform, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. In early October, Türk's office told the UN Human Rights Council it had verified 15,280 civilians killed or injured in the first eight months of 2026 – 55% more than in the same period a year earlier.