UK Tells Russia at UN: ‘Enough Is Enough’ After Latest Mass Strikes on Ukraine

The United Kingdom condemned Moscow’s latest mass strikes on Ukrainian cities at the  UN Security Council on Monday, accusing Russia of a familiar pattern of “destruction, then denial, then disinformation.”

Ambassador James Kariuki, the UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, said Russia’s June 14-15 mass attack killed at least 11 civilians and marked another escalation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

“The international community has been loud and clear in calling for a ceasefire,” Kariuki told the Council. “Enough is enough.”

That night, Russia launched 611 drones and 70 missiles, including 40 ballistic and hypersonic missiles, against Ukraine, Kariuki said. He described it as the second-largest attack of its kind in the war, surpassed only by an earlier strike this month involving 41 ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

“These intensifying attacks have driven a sharp rise in civilian casualties,” Kariuki told the Council.

He said OCHA recorded in May the highest monthly civilian casualty total since the beginning of the war, warning that June’s figures are on course to be even higher.

Kariuki said Russian drones and missiles not only killed Ukrainian civilians on June 14, but also damaged Ukrainian cultural heritage and identity.

He pointed to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Ukraine’s most important religious and cultural landmarks, which was set ablaze during the attack.

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Under international humanitarian law, Russia is obligated to protect such sites, he stressed.

“Russia has already sought to deflect responsibility, part of a familiar pattern of destruction, then denial, then disinformation,” Kariuki said.

“It is hard not to view such attacks as an attempt to erase Ukrainian identity and culture.”

‘Hollow claims’

The UK envoy said the Mystetskyi Arsenal Arts Museum and the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio were also hit during the same wave of strikes.

Since 2022, UNESCO has verified damage to more than 500 religious sites in Ukraine, 200 buildings of historic interest, as well as museums, monuments, theatres and libraries, Kariuki noted.

He also recalled the destruction of Odesa Cathedral in July 2023, saying Russia continues to claim it protects religious communities while its actions show the opposite.

“Colleagues, hollow claims are a part of Russia’s modus operandi,” Kariuki said.

He pointed to reports by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine documenting systematic torture of prisoners of war, deportation and forced transfer of children, and attacks causing significant damage to schools and hospitals.

“These actions speak for themselves,” Kariuki said.

He ended by urging Russia to heed international calls for a ceasefire.

“The international community has been loud and clear in calling for a ceasefire,” Kariuki said. “Enough is enough.”