The UN called for investigation into the large number of civilian deaths due to Russian attacks in Ukraine

The political chief of the UN called for an investigation into the large number of civilian deaths and the destruction of hundreds of residential buildings, schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

Assistant Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council on Thursday that “international humanitarian law is very clear” about prohibiting direct attacks on civilians during military operations and ensuring their protection.

But, he said, many of the daily attacks that hit Ukrainian cities “are apparently indiscriminate, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.”

DiCarlo cited the most recent statistics from the UN human rights office: 1,900 civilian casualties since the start of the war on February 24, until March 15. That is, 726 dead, including 52 children, and 1,174 injured, although the real figure is believed to be much higher.

“Most of these victims were due to the use of wide-impact explosive weapons in populated areas,” he said.

The United Nations development agency projects that, if the war continues, 90% of the population in Ukraine could face poverty and extreme economic vulnerability, “delaying the country, and the region decades, and leaving deep social and economic scars,” DiCarlo said.

For her part, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield pointed out on her social media that “Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin,” no matter what.

The US official also said that Russia will “be held accountable for its atrocities”, such as the bombing of the Mariupol theater, where hundreds of people were taking refuge from the war and where the word “children” had been prominently written abroad, in Russian.

Russia, meanwhile, withdrew from voting on Friday a humanitarian resolution on Ukraine in the United Nations Security Council because it lacked the support of its closest allies, several diplomats who asked for anonymity announced to AFP on Thursday.

“They resorted to co-sponsorship” for their text on the humanitarian aspect “and there has been no return,” said an ambassador who asked for anonymity, hinting that neither China nor India supports the controversial Russian initiative and would not have voted in favour.

Russia, which submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council on Tuesday, called for a vote on Wednesday before changing its mind and postponing it to Thursday and then to Friday.

Moscow hoped to have the support of China and India, two countries that abstained on February 25 in the vote on the resolution submitted by the United States and Albania to denounce Ukraine's “aggression”, and which Russia vetoed.

“This week, perversely, Russia tabled a resolution that, among other things, called for protection for civilians, including women and children. It is a cynical game in the face of extreme human suffering,” said British Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the fifth Security Council meeting devoted to Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24.

“Just when Russian forces attacked Mariupol,” in particular a theater that housed hundreds of people and children, the British diplomat recalled.

For his part, the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, Josep Borell, condemned the continued attacks by the Russian armed forces and “their representatives” against the population and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as the siege of the city of Mariupol.

In a statement, Borrell recalled that a theater in this city was heavily bombed on Wednesday even though it was known and clearly indicated that it had served as a shelter for civilians, including children, as well as that the Humans Rights Watch organization has reported three separate cluster bomb attacks in the city of Mikolaiv.

“Such deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are shameful, reprehensible and totally unacceptable. They constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law,” Borrell said.

The EU again called on Moscow to “establish unhindered humanitarian access” to Ukraine and stressed that Russia does not have the right to use force unilaterally on a third country, so it “bears full responsibility” for this military aggression and the destruction and loss of life it is causing.

“The perpetrators of these grave violations and war crimes, as well as responsible government officials and military leaders, will be held accountable,” Borrell said.

The head of community diplomacy added that, as ordered yesterday by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, “Russia must cease all its military actions and remove all its forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine immediately and unconditionally,” as well as “respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders”.

The destruction in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, under Russian siege for 16 days, is “colossal” and it is estimated that 80% of homes have been destroyed, while 30,000 people have been able to leave the city in the last two days with their own transport, the city council reported on Thursday.

“According to preliminary estimates, about 80% of the city's housing stock has been destroyed, of which almost 30% cannot be restored. The situation in Mariupol is critical,” the council wrote on its Telegram channel.

He recalled that the city had been under blockade for 16 days and that more than 350,000 residents of Mariupol were still hiding in warehouses and basements “in the face of the continuous bombardment of the Russian occupation forces”, which dropped, on average, “50 to 100 aerial bombs a day”.

In the past two days, the inhabitants of Mariupol began to evacuate the city by private transport, in the direction of Berdyansk and Zaporiyia, after the opening of a corridor. “In total, about 6,500 cars left the besieged Mariupol... In total, about 30,000 people went out on their own transport,” he said.

With information from AP and EFE

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