UN says Ukraine war deadlier

Kayoko Gotoh, the U.N.’s top political affairs briefer on Ukraine at Tuesday’s Security Council meeting, said the war is “becoming deadlier by the day” as civilian casualties rise and long-range strikes intensify across the country. Her warning came after another large Russian overnight barrage hit Dnipro and central Ukraine, extending a surge in missile and drone attacks that followed a brief May 9-11 ceasefire window. The U.N. said limited humanitarian steps, including prisoner exchanges and the return of soldiers’ remains, have not produced a broader political breakthrough. Gotoh urged Kyiv and Moscow to resume direct negotiations “without further delays” toward a “full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” ### What did the U.N. say at the Security Council? Kayoko Gotoh told the 15-member council on May 19 that the conflict, now in its fifth year, is worsening on the ground even as diplomatic contacts continue. She said one of the largest aerial bombardments since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 took place in the previous week, with more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles reportedly launched between May 13 and May 14. (news.un.org) Gotoh said the recent exchanges of prisoners of war and the repatriation of remains showed that limited engagement between the sides was still possible. But she told the council those steps had not translated into progress toward ending the fighting, according to U.N. accounts of the meeting. ### What happened in the latest Russian barrage? Dnipro and the surrounding central region took the brunt of the latest major overnight attack reported on May 19, according to Euronews’ account of statements from Ukrainian officials. (news.un.org) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired at least 524 Shahed drones and nearly two dozen ballistic and cruise missiles in strikes that targeted eight regions from late Sunday into Monday. The same barrage damaged other regions including Odesa, Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhia, according to reports cited by Euronews and other outlets carrying the same dispatch. The attack was described as part of a broader spiral of long-range strikes that has expanded after the May 9-11 ceasefire period requested by U.S. President Donald Trump, which those reports said had little effect. (euronews.com) ### Why is the U.N. focusing on civilians now? The U.N. meeting was requested by Ukraine in a May 13 letter and backed by Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and Britain, according to Security Council Report. The briefing note said Kyiv was expected to cite intensified Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure in recent weeks, including strikes that followed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s early-May ceasefire announcement. (euronews.com) Edem Wosornu of the U.N. humanitarian office also briefed the council and said aid workers in Ukraine had come under repeated attack during the previous week, according to U.N.-linked reports of the session. Gotoh separately said the U.N. “strongly condemn[s] all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur.” (securitycouncilreport.org) ### What is the diplomatic track now? Gotoh told the council that direct talks between Ukraine and Russia should resume “without further delays,” and she said only a process grounded in the U.N. Charter and international law could produce a “just, lasting and comprehensive peace.” The U.N. appeal amounted to a call for negotiations to catch up with the pace of escalation on the battlefield. (thepeninsulaqatar.com) Security Council Report said the May 19 meeting was an open briefing rather than a vote-setting session, and no immediate council action was expected from it. The next formal movement, based on the U.N. record available Wednesday, is continued council scrutiny of the fighting and any renewed direct contacts between Kyiv and Moscow. (securitycouncilreport.org) (news.un.org)