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On the heels of the\u00a0<\/strong>deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians<\/strong> since the early days of the war<\/strong>, Mr. Guterres expressed concern that recent strikes by both Russia and Ukraine have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, which represent \u201ca clear violation of international humanitarian law.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThis latest series of attacks follows an alarming pattern of escalating strikes against populated areas<\/strong>, reportedly resulting in a record-level increase in numbers of civilian casualties and widespread destruction of residential and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as increasingly in the Russian Federation,\u201d Mr. Guterres said.<\/p>\n Attacks in Kharkiv and Donetsk overnight killed one and three people, respectively. Humanitarian workers are\u00a0already delivering shelter support, psychosocial assistance and other aid to civilians affected by the strikes in Donetsk, the UN\u2019s aid office (OCHA) said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a Ukrainian strike on a warehouse killed five in the Moscow region on Tuesday, and a Ukrainian drone strike killed seven on a busy beach in the Krasnodar region on Monday, according to Russian authorities.<\/p>\n While both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians, Mr. Guterres stressed that all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure \u201cmust stop immediately<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n With the front line essentially at a stalemate across eastern Ukraine since 2023, both countries have resorted to a long-range aerial battle, with Russia targeting cities and energy infrastructure and Ukraine targeting oil refineries and logistics warehouses.<\/p>\n Regardless of intent, civilians have been increasingly caught in the crossfire of these deadly strikes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In the first six months of this year, the UN confirmed almost 1,400 Ukrainian civilians killed and almost 8,000 injured by Russian attacks.<\/p>\n Though Russian authorities have not released a figure for the same six-month time period, they claim more than 8,000 civilians killed since 2022 and at least 61 killed and 327 wounded by Ukrainian strikes in the last week of July.<\/p>\n Across Ukraine,\u00a0OCHA reports that 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance and 3.8 million Ukrainians remain internally displaced<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mr. Guterres expressed concern that military escalation in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the north, which connects to it, continues to threaten the global food supply.<\/p>\n He called on all parties to ensure freedom of navigation and protect civilian maritime infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Secretary-General reiterates his call for urgent de-escalation, leading to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire<\/strong> and for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace, in line with international law, including the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions,\u201d UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Thursday.<\/p>\nWar escalates in the air<\/strong><\/h2>\n