India, June 23 -- Deadly drone and missile attacks in Ukraine over the weekend represented a "dangerous cycle of escalation" in Russia's full-scale four-year-old war, the UN Security Council heard on Monday from Mohamed Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations.
The human and cultural costs of the Russian attacks in Ukraine are mounting, speakers warned, underscoring the urgency of a full ceasefire, renewed diplomacy and sustained humanitarian funding.
Khiari reported that at least 16,126 civilians, including 796 children, have been killed since Moscow's 2022 invasion, with recent missile and drone attacks striking Kyiv and other regions, damaging homes, infra...