High Commissioner Türk on Ukraine: “Tragic example of the devastation of war on people, the environment, and a common future”

Mr. Vice-President, 
Excellencies,

We are approaching 1000 days since the Russian Federation’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.

A period marked by massive destruction, death, and injury, displaced and tormented families – and widespread violations of international law.

This war has quickly become a tragic, flagrant example of the devastation of war on people, the environment, and a common future.

Leaving a legacy of trauma and loss, for generations to come.

July 2024 was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since October 2022.

Between June and August, my Office verified 45 per cent more civilian casualties than in the previous three-month period. This increase is due to the 8 July large-scale coordinated attack by the Russian Federation against targets across Ukraine, continued missile, drone and aerial bomb strikes, and continuing assaults by Russian armed forces seeking to capture further Ukrainian territory.

At the same time, insidious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law continue in places of detention hidden from the view of independent monitors.

The prohibition of torture under international law is absolute.

And yet, patterns of widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, at the hands of Russian captors, have been recounted to my Office, across internment facilities in numerous regions within occupied territory and the Russian Federation.

Since March 2023, when my Office last issued a report on the treatment of prisoners of war, we have interviewed 174 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Almost all of them have provided detailed and consistent accounts of torture or ill-treatment in custody of Russian forces, throughout all stages of captivity.

Instances of torture are taking place on a daily or weekly basis.

Minimum safeguards which are meant to help prevent torture – such as allowing prisoners to communicate with the outside world, access by independent monitors, or routine medical exams – have been absent or ineffective.

The evidence gathered also suggests involvement of facility supervisors, and significant coordination among various entities of the Russian Federation – such as the Federal Security Service and the Federal Penitentiary Service.

In a few cases when external officials visited places of internment, the torture and ill-treatment temporarily ceased, and conditions improved – an indication that the authorities were aware of these practices.

Dehumanising rhetoric has continued by public figures in the Russian Federation, calling for inhumane treatment, and even execution, of Ukrainian POWs.

And Russian servicepersons benefit from broad amnesty laws that fuel impunity.

Torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war must end. Perpetrators of this horrific practice must be held to account.

Mr. Vice-President,

Roughly half of the 205 Russian POWs we interviewed since March 2023 reported torture or ill-treatment by Ukrainian authorities, with 10 POWs reporting sexual violence.

This generally took place during the initial stages of their captivity where Russian POWs were held in transit places for several days.

In nearly all cases, the torture and ill-treatment stopped when prisoners arrived at official places of internment, where conditions generally met international standards. I encourage Ukraine to ensure that POWs are treated in accordance with international law at all stages of their captivity.

Access to places of internment has enabled my Office to engage directly with the Ukrainian authorities and has encouraged an improvement in conditions, which needs to be sustained.

Mr. Vice-President,

Russian armed forces continued their systematic attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure, launching at least four major waves of attacks over three months, increasingly against power generation facilities.

These attacks have significantly decreased Ukraine’s power generation capacity. People already experienced rolling blackouts over the summer. The situation risks deteriorating over the brutal winter period when demand increases.

This is a vicious way of harming civilians.

Especially in a heavily urbanized country like Ukraine, with centralized electricity and heating systems.

Electricity is nothing short of a lifeblood.

For hospitals, otherwise forced to rely on back-up generators.

For heating and water supply to homes.

For elevators critical to enabling older people or people with disabilities to reach their apartments.

For treating groundwater to avoid spread of infectious diseases.

This harm is entirely foreseeable, avoidable, and unacceptable - it must cease.

Mr. Vice-President,

Before I close, I wish to draw attention to a less visible side of this conflict: its pernicious damage to and cost on the environment.

The war is steadily poisoning land and natural habitats in Ukraine, contaminating air, groundwater, and soil, including that used for agriculture.

Active fighting near nuclear power stations and attacks on related infrastructure increase the risk of nuclear instability and accidents, which could have serious transborder consequences.

Scientists warn that conflict can remake ecosystems entirely – the full consequences of which are far from known now in Ukraine.

Efforts to seek accountability and towards peace must also take full account of these concerns, in light of their deeply damaging long-term effect on Ukrainians today, and future generations.

Mr. Vice-President,

The facts of this terrible war are laid bare – exposed and recorded on a daily basis by my team on the ground, and many others.

I welcome the access and cooperation that Ukraine continues to provide to my team and look forward to the timely renewal of the presence of my Office.

My Office has pursued access to territory occupied by the Russian Federation and all affected areas in the Russian Federation to be able to document and monitor the human rights situation. I regret that the Russian Federation has not granted such access until now.

Independent access is the window to establishing facts in war and to ensuring better protection of civilians.

It serves no one in this war for disinformation and propaganda to spread.

Nor in any other conflict in the world.

I urge the Russian Federation once again to meet its international obligations and to cease its armed attack immediately.

Thank you.