The war in Ukraine “will have no winner”, judges the UN on the 100th day of the Russian invasion

“This war will have no winner, and instead we have witnessed all that has been lost,” UN Coordinator for Ukraine Amin Awad told a conference in press marking the 100 days of conflict.

“We need peace. The war must end,” he urged, as negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow have stalled for several weeks.

“Today marks 100 days since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter,” Awad said from Kyiv. a regular UN press briefing in Geneva. The Russian invasion launched on February 24 “has taken a heavy toll on the civilian population”, alarms Amin Awad, speaking of “the destruction, devastation in towns and villages” as well as “lives, houses, lost jobs and opportunities”.

“100 days of large-scale suffering, devastation and destruction”

Overall, the Ukrainian conflict has claimed an “unacceptable number of casualties” and engulfed virtually every aspect of civilian life. For the UN, this war is synonymous with “a hundred days of suffering, devastation and destruction on a large scale”.

It is “one hundred days of unremitting warfare, including indiscriminate shelling terrorizing civilians and bombing hospitals, schools and homes”. “The toll of this war on civilians is unacceptable,” argued Mr. Awad, recalling that this war is equivalent to “one hundred days of lost lives and uprooted populations, the lives of millions of people shattered”.

In just over three months, nearly 14 million Ukrainians, roughly a third of Ukraine’s total population, have been forced to flee their homes, the majority of them women and children – a scale and speed movement unprecedented in history. Mr Awad added that there are an additional 15 to 16 million people who “stay in their homes but have also been affected by the loss of their jobs or their ability to move around”.

A third of the population is in urgent need of assistance and protection

While return movements to Ukraine are also observed, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners must be “ready to support their return in a sustainable manner”.

“In a remarkable show of resilience, millions of people are now returning,” Mr. Awad added, noting that “returning home, having been forced to flee, is one of the most natural human desires.”

Despite these timid movements back to Ukraine, the situation inside the country remains unpredictable. Some 4,200 civilians were killed by armed attacks and 4,000 others injured, recalled Mr. Awad from Kyiv.

On the ground, at least 15.7 million people in Ukraine, equivalent to a third of the country’s population, “are in urgent need of assistance and protection”. The needs of these people could increase if the war drags on into next winter, as “millions of people could be made very vulnerable by the destruction of power stations and fuel depots”, warned the Coordinator of the Nations United.

In addition, more than 5 million children have seen their education suspended – an entire generation whose future hangs in the balance. Other people – often the most vulnerable – have not been able to leave, including those elderly and people with disabilities.

Hundred Days of War has put Ukraine’s healthcare system under great pressure

After a hundred days of conflict, the Ukrainian health system is under great pressure, the World Health Organization also denounced on Friday (WHO). “This war has lasted 100 days too long, smashing lives and communities and jeopardizing the short and long-term health of the Ukrainian people,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

The war has increased health care needs while reducing the system’s ability to deliver services, especially in areas of active conflict. As of June 2, there have been 269 verified attacks on health, killing at least 76 people and injuring 59. For the WHO, “these attacks are not justifiable, they are never acceptable, and they must be subject of an investigation”.

“No medical professional should have to provide care on the cutting edge, but that is precisely what nurses, doctors, paramedics and medical teams in Ukraine are doing,” said Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “WHO is doing all it can to support the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and deliver essential medical supplies and equipment,” added Dr Tedros, noting however that “the medicine that Ukraine has the greatest need is what the WHO cannot provide: peace”.

The UN World Health Agency urges the Russian Federation to “end the war”.

In the meantime, the United Nations and its more than 260 humanitarian partners (many of whom are local partners) have stepped up action at “record speed and deployed additional personnel across the country to support the humanitarian response”. To date, the UN has provided some form of assistance to some 8 million people in the country’s 24 oblasts, including in besieged and hard-to-reach towns.

In addition, the United Nations ensured the safe passage of some 600 civilians from Mariupol, including those trapped in the Azovstahl steelworks, in a difficult and dangerous joint humanitarian operation with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

New talks needed to allow Russian exports

More generally, the impact of the war in Ukraine in the region and in the world is “profound and far-reaching”.

According to the UN coordinator in Ukraine, the standoff in Odessa and the Black Sea is jeopardizing food and commodity security globally. “Food insecurity is expected to become even more of a concern,” Awad said, pointing out that 1.7 billion people are at risk of becoming poorer as a result of the crisis.

“At the same time, the Ukrainian economy is expected to contract by 45% this year,” he noted.

Faced with this catastrophic scenario that could lead to inflation and rising food prices, the UN believes that “a solution to this impasse requires urgent support and requires political will”. In this regard, the unblocking of the Black Sea trade routes must remain the priority. “The impossibility of opening these ports will lead to famine, destabilization and mass migration throughout the world”, warned the senior UN official.

Under these conditions, further discussions are needed to reach an agreement on the authorization of Russian exports within the framework of the agreement envisaged for the resumption of Ukrainian food exports, the United Nations crisis coordinator for the Ukraine. “Russia has given its agreement in principle, but there are still negotiations to be conducted to facilitate Russian exports,” concluded Amin Awad.

Guterres calls for an immediate end to the violence

For his part, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterrestook the opportunity of these 100 days to renew its “call for an immediate end to the violence, for unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need, for the safe evacuation of civilians caught in the trap in combat zones and to the urgent protection of civilians and respect for human rights in accordance with international standards”.

“The UN is committed to the humanitarian effort. But as I have emphasized from the outset, resolving this conflict will require negotiations and dialogue. The sooner the parties engage in good faith diplomatic efforts to end this war, the better for the good of Ukraine, Russia and the world. The UN stands ready to support all these efforts,” the UN chief added in a press statement released on Friday evening.