UN rights chief calls for ‘decisive shift’ toward de-escalation, peace in Ukraine

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday called for a “decisive shift” toward de-escalation and peace in Ukraine, urging renewed negotiations as he warned the war has become a “human rights catastrophe” that is intensifying by the week.

“The conduct of this war to date cannot be allowed to dictate its future. We need a decisive shift towards de-escalation and peace,” Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He said rebuilding momentum toward negotiations was key, calling for confidence-building measures that could reduce the impact of hostilities on civilians.

Such measures could include an agreement to end attacks on economic targets and energy infrastructure, local ceasefires along the frontlines, enabling civilians to leave Oleshky, and a full exchange of prisoners of war, he said.

Turk urged the international community, particularly states with influence, to take “urgent action to push for a negotiated peace now, before this tragedy becomes even worse.”

The rights chief said his office verified some 15,280 civilians killed and injured across Ukraine during the first eight months of 2026 — an average of more than 400 every week and 55% higher than during the same period in 2025.

Calling Ukraine a “laboratory for drone warfare,” Turk urged international action to address the “carnage” caused by such weapons worldwide.

He said Russian aerial glide bombs alone killed or injured nearly 2,500 civilians in the first eight months of the year in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions, up 62% year-on-year.

Turk also accused Russian forces of increasing attacks on energy infrastructure, supermarkets, food companies and transportation networks.

In Russia, Ukrainian forces have reportedly struck warehouses and logistics centers belonging to major e-commerce companies, as well as oil refineries, he said.

Turk also cited a recent report documenting more than 1,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, of which “89% were attributed to Russian authorities and 11% to Ukraine.” Most victims were men, particularly in detention, though women and children were also affected, “primarily in occupied Ukrainian territory,” according to Turk.

“Alongside peace, there must be accountability,” he said.

The UN rights chief also voiced alarm over human rights violations linked to the presence of fighters from third countries in the war, noting his staff had interviewed “prisoners of war from 29 countries who are held by Ukraine; many said they were deceived into joining the Russian forces.”