Ukraine war ‘a human rights catastrophe’ that must end, says Türk

The war in Ukraine is a human rights catastrophe that is “growing and intensifying by the week” and threatening an even greater disaster across the region, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday.Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Türk said his office had verified some 15,280 civilians killed and injured in Ukraine during the first eight months of this year – on average more than 400 every week, and 55 per cent more than in the same period in 2025.“The full-scale invasion unleashed by the Russian Federation is killing and injuring hundreds of people every week, as frontlines barely move,” he said, noting that apartment buildings, schools, medical centres, railways and shops had been hit in recent attacks.Cruelty made manifestThe UN rights chief said a recent report by his office had found “shocking levels of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war”.Of more than 1,000 cases documented, 89 per cent were attributed to Russian authorities and 11 per cent to Ukraine. Most victims were men, particularly in places of detention, but women and children were also affected, primarily in occupied territory.“This is just one terrible manif...