UN official Kayoko Gotō said Russia had carried out one of the largest aerial bombardments of Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 while briefing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, May 19.
Between May 13 and 14, Russia reportedly launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukrainian cities across the country, she said. The figures mark the largest wave of aerial weapons launched against Ukraine in a 24-hour window in Russia’s invasion and matched Ukrainian estimates.
The deadliest strike hit a nine-story apartment block in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district on May 14, killing 24 people, including three girls aged 12, 15 and 17. At least 48 others, including two children, were injured.
Gotō said at least 238 civilians were killed and 1,404 injured in Ukraine last month – the highest monthly civilian casualty figure recorded since July 2025.
Since February 2022, the UN Human Rights Office has verified at least 15,855 civilians killed in Ukraine, including 791 children, and 44,809 injured, including 2,752 children. The actual figures are likely significantly higher, she said.
Humanitarian workers targeted
The UN also raised concerns over attacks on humanitarian workers.
Officials said clearly marked UN vehicles had been struck by drones in Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions last week, despite humanitarian missions being notified to the parties in advance.
“Civilians across Ukraine cannot wait for a political breakthrough to be protected and to have their basic needs met,” a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) official told the Council, urging respect for international humanitarian law, safe evacuations, humanitarian access and urgent funding.
The OCHA said the UN and its partners had carried out 250 humanitarian convoys to frontline communities since February 2022. In April alone, the World Food Program provided food to nearly 160,000 people across seven frontline regions.
But humanitarian needs continue to outpace resources. The UN has received about $845 million of the $2.3 billion required for its Ukraine humanitarian response, leaving a $1.7 billion shortfall.
European members accuse Russia of terror tactics
Latvia’s representative accused Russia of responding to Ukraine’s restraint around Moscow’s May 9 Victory Day parade with one of the largest attacks on Ukrainian civilians and children.
Latvia said Russia launched 1,567 long-range drones and 56 missiles on May 13 and 14, killing at least 39 people, including three girls, and injuring more than 175 others.
Latvia also accused Russia of using drones to impose a humanitarian blockade around occupied Oleshky, saying civilians were trapped with limited food supplies and no drinking water.
Denmark condemned the drone attack on a clearly marked UN convoy in Ukraine, saying a second drone carried out a “double-tap” strike on rescuers assisting those trapped in the vehicle.
Denmark said Russia had fired more than 4,500 drones, missiles and bombs at Ukrainian cities last week, killing at least 52 civilians, including three children, and injuring more than 300.
France said attacks against civilians and humanitarian personnel are illegal and may constitute war crimes. Paris called for an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire, accusing Russia of exploiting temporary pauses while continuing its attacks on Ukraine.
Greece warned that civilian casualties were rising sharply and said the return of deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children must be central to any future peace talks. Greece also voiced concern over risks around the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear plants.
The UK accused Russia of showing “no interest in peace,” saying Moscow accepted a brief ceasefire only when it suited Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The moment the parade ended, the killing resumed,” the UK representative said, referring to renewed Russian attacks after the May 9-11 pause.
The UK said Russia had killed more than 150 civilians this month alone and argued that the war could end immediately if Moscow stopped its invasion.
US, Bahrain, DRC and Colombia call for de-escalation
Bahrain welcomed US-mediated ceasefire efforts and praised prisoner-exchange mediation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It urged the parties to build on humanitarian initiatives and support diplomatic efforts toward a sustainable peace in Ukraine.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said the security and humanitarian situation in Ukraine continued to deteriorate and required sustained attention from the international community and the Security Council.
The United States called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire ahead of a durable negotiated settlement, saying the war had devastated civilian life and critical infrastructure, especially Ukraine’s energy grid.
Washington also urged Russia to allow humanitarian workers access to areas under its control and to return all Ukrainian children unlawfully deported to Russia or forcibly transferred within occupied Ukrainian territory.
“These are not outrageous or novel requests,” the US representative said. “They are a reflection of basic human decency.”
The US said it remained committed to the return of Ukrainian children and was funding a $25 million program toward that goal.
Colombia said it regretted the resumption and intensification of large-scale attacks after the three-day ceasefire announced on May 9, saying civilians, including children, were again among the victims.
Russia rejects accusations
Russia rejected the accusations, claiming that Kyiv had shown no readiness to make substantive progress toward a settlement and that the negotiation process was “at an impasse.”
Russia’s representative said President Volodymyr Zelensky should order a ceasefire, withdraw Ukrainian forces from what Moscow called “Russian regions,” including Donbas, and move to discuss the terms of what Russia described as a comprehensive and sustainable peace.
He accused European countries, particularly the UK and Belgium, of seeking to prolong the war in order to inflict maximum damage on Russia. Moscow also claimed its own strikes targeted Ukrainian defense industry facilities, fuel, energy and transport infrastructure allegedly used by Ukraine’s military, drone assembly sites and ammunition depots.
Several European speakers rejected Russia’s arguments as disinformation, saying Moscow could end the war immediately by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine.
China urges political settlement
China called for efforts to reach a “comprehensive, lasting and binding” peace agreement, saying the conflict required both immediate de-escalation and work toward a long-term political settlement.
Beijing said Russia, Ukraine and European countries “cannot move away from being neighbors” and urged all sides to take one another’s security concerns seriously.
Ukraine says Russia’s May attacks were among deadliest
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Andriy Melnyk rejected Russia’s accusations, saying Ukraine does not target civilians and strikes only legitimate military assets in line with international humanitarian law.
“Unlike Russia, Ukraine’s forces never target civilians,” Melnyk said. “We only destroy military assets in full compliance with international humanitarian law.”
Melnyk said the first half of May had become one of the deadliest periods for Ukrainian civilians since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
According to Melnyk, between May 4 and 11 alone, Russia launched more than 600 attack drones and 16 ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities and communities, killing more than 40 civilians and injuring over 200.
He said Russia’s May 14 attack was among the deadliest, with more than 1,500 drones and 56 missiles launched across Ukraine. In Kyiv, he said, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile destroyed a nine-story residential apartment building, killing 24 civilians, including three children.
Melnyk also accused Russia of creating a humanitarian catastrophe in occupied parts of the Kherson region, where he said civilians were being blocked from leaving and denied access to food, water and medicine.
He said civilians trying to buy food or leave in private vehicles were being “literally hunted” by Russian drone strikes, with more than 6,000 people, including around 200 children, in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Melnyk urged UN member states to strengthen sanctions against Russia’s military industry, energy revenues and access to critical technologies and to support accountability mechanisms, including the special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Nordic countries and Poland condemn Russian strikes
Speaking on behalf of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, Iceland’s representative said Russia’s renewed large-scale attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure showed a lack of genuine intent to pursue peace.
The Nordic countries said Russia responded to Ukraine’s willingness to extend the recent three-day ceasefire by launching drone attacks against civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
They also condemned the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children, calling it “a calculated strategy” aimed at harming Ukraine’s future.
Poland strongly condemned Russia’s continued large-scale attacks against Ukraine, saying Moscow deliberately uses terror against civilians as a method of warfare.
Poland also condemned the Russian attack on a clearly marked UN humanitarian convoy in the Kherson region, saying strikes against humanitarian personnel and UN operations are a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
“As we mark the UN Protection of Civilians Week, there is a tragic irony that at this table sits a permanent member responsible for deliberate attacks,” Poland’s representative said.
Calls for ceasefire and prisoner exchange
Several Council members also pointed to the May 15 prisoner exchange, in which 205 prisoners from each side were returned, while urging the full implementation of a larger announced 1,000-for-1,000 exchange.
Speakers repeatedly called for a comprehensive ceasefire grounded in the UN Charter and respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
“Quick fixes will not stick,” Denmark’s representative said, “and neither will efforts to redraw internationally recognized borders by force.”