By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA)— The UN's top officials warned Thursday of a dramatic rise in civilian casualties in Ukraine this year, calling for an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian assistance amid the escalating conflict.

"In total, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, at least 13,279 civilians, including 707 children, have been killed. The confirmed number of civilians injured stands at 32,449, including 2,068 children," Rosemary DiCarlo told a Security Council session on Ukraine.

Noting that 2025 has been particularly deadly, she said: "Civilian deaths in the first quarter of this year are 59% higher than in the same period of 2024."

Warning that "attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law," DiCarlo said the scale of recent attacks is "a stark warning of how quickly this war can reach new destructive levels."

She also cited Russian government figures indicating that 59 civilians were killed and more than 400 others injured in May alone due to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.

"They are unacceptable and indefensible, wherever they occur, and must stop immediately," she said.

Despite the grim outlook, DiCarlo welcomed the May 16 meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul—the first direct negotiations in three years—praising the roles of Türkiye and the US in facilitating the dialogue.

She said a "recently completed phased exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war on each side" was a concrete outcome of those talks.

"The hope that the parties will be able to sit down and negotiate is still alive, but just barely," she said, adding that "a peace process will not be easy, and it will take time. But it must not wait. The people of Ukraine, especially, cannot wait."

Lisa Doughten, director of humanitarian financing at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), also emphasized the severe impact of ongoing hostilities on civilians and aid workers.

"Health care services remain under severe strain," she said, noting that such disruptions to health care services "are limiting access to trauma care and other critical services, putting the sick and injured at serious risk."

Doughten further noted that aid personnel also face rising dangers, with 37 violent incidents recorded so far in 2025.

She also warned that only a quarter of the $2.6 billion required for the 2025 humanitarian response has been received.

"Without urgent support, core programs risk being suspended, just as needs are rising," she said.

She identified three urgent priorities for moving forward: protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensuring consistent humanitarian access, and increasing support for the overall aid response.