As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its one year anniversary, the fighting continues with no end in sight, head of UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs updated the Security Council Rosemary DiCarlo said.

“But all wars end, and so too will this one. Ukraine, Russia, the world cannot afford for this war to continue. The Secretary-General is ready to assist the parties to end this senseless, unjustified conflict on the basis of the UN Charter and international law,” DiCarlo said, speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to the war in Ukraine.

The UN Deputy Secretary General stressed that during the New Year and Christmas holidays, the Russian army continued to strike at key cities of Ukraine. And the attacks continued, despite the announcement of a possible cessation of hostilities in connection with the Orthodox Christmas.

DiCarlo said that the ground fighting has intensified, especially in Donetsk region, and in areas of active hostilities, such as Bakhmut and Soledar, there are merciless battles that pose a great threat to the remaining civilians.

She noted that in Bakhmut alone, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 22 killed and 72 wounded civilians since the beginning of December.

The UN Deputy Secretary General added he war forced millions of people to leave their homes. She said they highly appreciate the generosity of the countries that had sheltered about 7.9 million people seeking protection in Europe, adding that they call for further efforts to ensure equal access to rights and services for refugees in national systems.

According to her, an assessment is currently being carried out aimed at identifying the most important needs for the restoration of Ukraine's damaged energy infrastructure, while data collection is 90% complete.

According to the UN, since February 24 last year, almost 14 million people have received assistance from more than 740 partners, including 1 million people in areas temporarily beyond the control of the government of Ukraine.

DiCarlo stressed that the humanitarian response is hampered by serious access restrictions, especially in the eastern areas under Russian control. In accordance with international humanitarian law, the parties must facilitate the rapid and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to all civilians in need.

She also noted that OHCHR continues to document information about serious human rights violations.

The UN Deputy Secretary General said that since February 24, OHCHR had documented more than 90 cases of war-related sexual violence, which can be divided into two categories: the majority as a method of torture and ill-treatment in places of detention, mainly against men; and sexual violence related to rape, including group rape, of women and girls in areas under the control of Russia.

She drew attention to the importance of bringing to justice all those responsible for human rights violations.