The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 violated the UN Charter and international law. Since then, more than 15,000 civilians have been killed and total damages so far are estimated at more than $195 billion.
‘A stain on our collective conscience’: Guterres
“This devastating war is a stain on our collective conscience and remains a threat to regional and international peace and security.“, UN Secretary General António Guterres he said just before the somber anniversary.
He warned that “The longer the war lasts, the deadlier it becomes,” noting that “civilians are the most affected by this conflict.” Last year, 2,514 people were killed – the largest number so far. He called this “simply unacceptable.”
The conflict has brought infinite difficulties to the population. Older generations still remember the brutal fighting along the Eastern Front during World War II more than 80 years ago, but the current carnage has lasted longer than what the Soviets called the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
Firefighters respond to damage caused by the conflict in Kharkiv.
The current tragedy in Ukraine is not a monolith. Upon closer inspection, it crumbles into countless fragments, each reflecting an individual pain.
Some have lost loved ones in war. Others have had their homes bombed and many of those who fled the country cannot return due to ongoing military operations.
A mother’s dream
The frontline regional capital, Kherson, changed hands twice during the conflict. Sirens sound almost daily throughout the city, warning of bombings. Schools and kindergartens are closed, so parents are taking their children to underground shelters where they can learn, play or even just stay safely warm amid the low winter temperatures.
Victoria and her daughter Myroslava, 5 years old, attend one of these centers every day. The young mother tried twice to leave Kherson to go to nearby Mykolaiv, but returned because “it is still easier at home, despite all the difficulties.”
Victoria works part-time online and receives social benefits; Her husband also works. Humanitarian organizations provide the family with essential supplies. “It’s very helpful and I’m grateful for the support,” she said.
But she is very angry with politicians: “No one wants to end the war, they are not interested,” she said.
Victoria’s greatest dream is a peaceful future for her daughter, one in which “if something explodes, it won’t be bombs, but fireworks.”
A woman and child dressed in winter clothing stand outside in a snowy urban area in Ukraine.
There is no escape from winter
As the central heating in Kherson barely works, Victoria’s family uses a heater to protect themselves from the freezing temperatures. “But it’s barely warm,” he said.
The biting cold is a widespread problem. This winter has been particularly hard for Ukraine.
Temperatures are falling below minus 20 degrees Celsius and Russian attacks on energy infrastructure are leaving hundreds of thousands of people without heat or electricity. In frontline areas, people report chronic shortages of generators and repair materials.
“Children can’t leave their apartments,” said Kenan Madi, head of field operations at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the country, said UN News. “But even inside their apartments the temperature drops to two or three degrees and there is no heating. This poses serious risks to their health.”
Cold figures, “hot” statistics
Against the backdrop of a harsh winter, conflict statistics are equally alarming.
As of this month, there have been 55,550 confirmed civilian casualties, including 15,378 deaths, according to the U.N. human rights office (OHCHR). The actual numbers are likely to be significantly higher as access to many occupied and frontline areas has been repeatedly denied.
The plight of children remains a major concern. According to UNICEF, more than 3,200 children have been killed or injured since February 2022, and the number of child victims increased by 10 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year.
This is the third year in a row that the UN has recorded an increase in the number of child victims of the large-scale Russian invasion.
Additionally, some 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced. More than 4.4 million people who fled their homes since the war broke out have returned, including more than a million who arrived from abroad. However, not all those who crossed the border were able to return home: 372,000 people remain internally displaced.
Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the war, the UN human rights chief reiterated that attacks on civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law.
“I call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease these attacks,” Volker Türk saying following large-scale attacks last week against energy infrastructure in several locations.
An elderly Ukrainian refugee sits in a theater converted into a shelter amid the ongoing war.
‘What kind of life is this?’
Prolonged power outages pose a deadly threat to Ukraine’s most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with chronic illnesses.
The psychosocial consequences of an energy crisis are no less serious: darkness, isolation and constant uncertainty exhaust even the most resilient.
“Is this life? You can’t call it life when there is shooting every day,” said Elena, 80, who regularly visits the UN humanitarian center in Kherson for aid.
“A year ago I buried my son and his wife. The house is destroyed, everything is destroyed. What kind of life is this?”
Elena said that without humanitarian aid, many here would not have survived: “The pension is small. What are we going to live on? My son is gone, the others are gone… They even give us lunches. They give us bread, they give us medicine. God bless you for helping!”
Hopes for peace
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, travels extensively throughout the country. Taking into account everything that is happening, the population’s fatigue is increasing significantly, which, he stated, is understandable.
He’s met people who admit they’re tired but don’t give up. “Let us honor this force,” he said,
Schmale insisted that the most important thing is that this year truly brings peace and an end to the suffering of the people of Ukraine.
“We want to see the fifth year (of war) bring a ceasefire and lasting peace with dignity,” he said.
