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Statement by Chargée d’Affaires Khrystyna Hayovyshyn 

at the Security Council “Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine”

8 April 2025

Mr. President, 

I thank French Presidency for convening today’s Security Council meeting and I am grateful to USG Mr. Fletcher for his substantive briefing.

My delegation called this meeting because the Russian Federation does not want a ceasefire. Every missile, every strike drone killing people everyday proves that Russia only wants war.

It has not only failed to cease its attacks on Ukrainian civilians – it has significantly escalated scale and lethality of its assaults.

Sunday, April 6 was the day of mourning in Ukraine after the most brazen attack carried out on April 4 which, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was the deadliest single strike harming children that the United Nations has verified since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Russian Federation launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile at a residential neighborhood in the city of Kryvyi Rih, killing 20 people, of which 9 children. Over 60 civilians, among whom 12 children, sustained injuries of varying severity. The youngest victim – a three-month-old baby.

Staying silent about the fact that it is Russia killing children with ballistic missiles is wrong and dangerous. It only emboldens the scum in Moscow to continue the war and keep ignoring diplomacy. Weakness has never ended a war. That’s why we are thankful to each and every Member State whose representatives have spoken out.

Our whole country is mourning children killed by the Russian terrorists in Kryvyi Rih. These are, according to Russian representative, military targets in Ukraine.

Tymofiy – forever 3 years old

Radyslav – forever 7 years old

Arina – forever 7 years old

Herman – forever 9 years old

Mykyta – forever 15 years old

Danylo – forever 15 years old

Alina – forever 15 years old

Danylo and Alina were a couple and were buried yesterday together.

Kostiantyn – forever 16 years old

Nikita – forever 17 years old

The attack on our children was carried out with exceptional cruelty.

The Russian ballistic missile was equipped with a cluster warhead, deliberately designed to maximize casualties. It targeted a purely residential area during the early Friday evening — a time when many families were gathering ahead of the weekend. The missile landed near a playground and tore through homes, schools, and a restaurant.

In addition to that ballistic missile, the Russian Federation launched attack drones against Кryvyi Rih during the rescue operation. The drone attack killed at least one person and injured seven others. There is no deeper vileness or hatred toward our реорІе. This aligns with the so-called double-tap attacks perpetrated by terrorist organizations and replicated en masse by the Russian Federation in its terror campaign against Ukraine and the Ukrainians.

We categorically reject Russia's blatant falsehoods about alleged military targets in the area. Facts from the crime scene make it clear: there were no military objectives in the vicinity. Russia's true aim was deliberate terror against civilians.

Russia must be held accountable for everything it has done. To end this war, it is necessary to put pressure on them – real pressure – without wasting time on empty talk.

We thank the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, whose team visited the site the following day to document the damage and identify the victims.

It reported extensive destruction caused by shrapnel striking buildings, playground swings and slides, trees, and open ground. Again, all witnesses and footages from cameras inside and outside the local restaurant debunk Russian representative’s lies and disinformation which we heard today and, in fact, always. It confirms that there was no military presence at the restaurant or in the surrounding area at the time of the strike.

We appreciate the efforts of UNICEF and its partners on the ground, who are supporting affected families and coordinating with local authorities to deliver emergency assistance. We welcome their call for an immediate end to attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine.

A resolute international response to Russian atrocities is crucial. Such terror must never become the norm. We call for both strong condemnation and decisive actions.

The Russian Federation must stop its terror against Ukrainian people, respond to the US proposal for an immediate, interim 30-day full ceasefire—which Ukraine has accepted—and end its war of aggression against my country.

Unfortunately, yet not surprisingly, the Russian Federation has refused to support full ceasefire initiative. Almost every day, in response to this proposal, Russia targets Ukrainian cities and villages with drones, bombs, artillery, and ballistic and cruise missile attacks.

Mr. President,

As Security Council members already underscored, not even two weeks have passed since the last Security Council meeting on Ukraine, but this was enough for Russia to cause significant loss of life and widespread destruction.

26 March, а massive attack on civilian infrastructure and residential areas in Кharkiv and the Кharkiv region. At least 12 civilians, including two children, injured.

Same evening, Dnipro and the Dnipropetrovsk region, one of the most intense drone attacks in three years, at least three civilians injured.

27 March, swarms of deadly Shahed drones attack residential areas of Dnipro and Кharkiv, other Ukrainian cities. Dozens of civilians injured, including children.

Same day, an artillery strike on Кherson, killing а woman and injuring а man.

28 March, а massive attack with 172 strike drones. Destruction across the country. In Dnipro, at least four civilians killed and 25 injured, including а pregnant woman.

29 March, missile strike on Кryvyi Rih, nine civilians injured, three of whom hospitalized.

Same evening, а massive attack on Кharkiv, two civilians killed and at least 35 others injured, including 5 children.

З0 March, attacks across Ukraine. Drones, artillery and guided aerial bombs hit Cherkasy, Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Sumy and Кharkiv regions. In Kupiansk, Кharkiv region, one of the 15 guided aerial bombs struck а five-story residential building, injuring at least four civilians.

31 March, another drone attack on Кharkiv, at least three civilians injured.

1 April, artillery shelling of Кrasnyi Lyman in Donetsk region destroying а utility building. Body fragments were found and handed over for identification.

2 April, massive overnight attack with 74 drones and approximately 50 guided aerial bombs targeting Кharkiv, Odesa, and Sumy regions. In Кharkiv, at least eight people injured, including three children.

2 April, а Russian strike on Druzhkivka, Donetsk region and on Kharkiv, where drones hit а 16-story residential building. At least five civilians injured, including а 10-year-old bоу and а 65-year-old woman.

Same day, а ballistic missile attacked Кryvyi Rih, at least four civilians killed and 14 injured, including at least two children aged 8 and 6.

3 April, a drone strikes on residential buildings in Кharkiv. At least five civilians killed, including а 12-year-old girl. 34 injured, including two children. 28 buildings damaged, leaving residents without gas, electricity or heating. Kyiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions also under attacks that day.

4 April, in Brovary, Kyiv region, Russian drone attack injures two civilians. In Dnipro, another massive overnight drone attack injured at least three civilians and caused multiple fires.

Same day, the Russian Federation struck Kostiantynivka and Rodynske in Donetsk region.

Mr. President, 

Moscow speaks about peace while launching brutal strikes daily on densely populated residential areas in major Ukrainian cities.

These strikes are abhorrent and appalling war crimes constituting a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

With these barbaric attacks against Ukrainian civilians, including children, Russia demonstrates its complete disregard for international peace efforts led by the United States. Russia shows unrelenting will to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine. Let us keep it in perspective: Moscow has not moved one inch away from its genocidal and maximalist war aims. Russia continues to focus on elimination of Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation.  It is now crystal clear that Russia is the major and only obstacle to peace.

On the other hand, Ukraine has always been and remains committed to peace. We have taken concrete steps towards peace, unlike Russia, which continues to drag its feet and commit atrocities.

Mr. President, 

Only from the pressure of the world on the Russian Federation, from all collective efforts to strengthen Ukraine, our air defense, our forces – only on this depends when the war will end.

Ukraine has clearly demonstrated our desire for peace and commitment to give peace a chance.

No one wants peace more than our people.

We need strong measures and decisive actions to push the Russian Federation toward peace before it kills more children and ruins the lives of more families. We can see that Putin does not want to end the war – he is looking for ways to preserve the option of reigniting it at any moment, with even greater force.

That’s exactly why all forms of pressure on Russia must continue: strengthening our ability to defend ourselves, maintaining sanctions and ensuring that diplomacy – any conversation with Moscow – leaves them no opportunity to kill. If there is a ceasefire, it must be unconditional – one that does not allow for the destruction of life.

We will rebuild buildings and entire cities demolished by the Russian attacks. Ukraine already manages to do that. But we will never return the lives of our people.

Russia must be held responsible for this war. And it will be.

We continue working closely with our American and European partners to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe based on the principles of the UN Charter and with clear security guarantees.

Thank you.

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UN Photo/Loey Felipe