UK Military Advisor, Lt Col Joby Rimmer counters the false narrative that Russia 'never targets civilians' in Ukraine. Verified evidence suggests unacceptable targeting of civilians and infrastructure. The UK calls for accountability and clear answers from Russia.
Madam Chair, together with our international partners, we continue to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia's aggression. Through coordinated efforts to provide essential equipment and training, we reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, sovereignty, and international law. The brutality of this illegal invasion demands a united and principled response.
At last week's FSC, Russia claimed that it 'never targets civilians' in Ukraine. This is starkly contradicted by a growing body of evidence from international investigations and human rights organisations. In October, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that Russian drone strikes across a 300 km stretch of southern Ukraine constitute crimes against humanity, specifically murder and forcible transfer of population. These attacks were found to be systematically coordinated and deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, ambulances, and fire brigades. Human Rights Watch verified 83 videos of drone strikes and conducted 36 interviews with survivors and witnesses, concluding that Russian drone operators have deliberately tracked civilians using drones equipped with live-streaming, high-resolution video feeds.
Russia has significant questions to answer about its targeting procedures and how it distinguishes between civilian and military targets. In particular, through its use of unguided bombs, long range missiles, and cluster munitions in populated areas, which the Commission of Inquiry has highlighted as leading to indiscriminate attacks, which have struck military and civilian objects without distinction. ODIHR's monitoring of the conduct of hostilities found that, from 1 December 2024 to 31 May 2025, Russia's use of wide area effects weapons in densely populated areas disregarded IHL, including the principles of distinction and proportionality.
Since rejecting Ukraine's offer of an unconditional ceasefire on 11 March 2025, Russia has intensified its attacks. In 2025 alone, over 2,000 civilians have been killed and 9,800 injured. The total civilian casualty toll, since the full-scale invasion began, now exceeds 52,850, including more than 3,000 children. These figures, which I would repeat are verified - so could in fact could be much higher - reflect a strategy of destruction, not restraint.
Similarly, Russia's strikes on energy infrastructure are particularly cruel. Independent bodies such as the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have reported on deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities and nuclear safety systems. As winter approaches, attacks on power grids and heating systems threaten millions with blackouts, freezing conditions, and suffering. These strikes are not only destructive, but they weaponise the season against civilians.
To counter Russia's allegations that this extensive collateral damage is a product of orchestrated fake news, the data provided today has been verified through multi-modal evidence, including eyewitness testimony, video and photographic documentation, technical analysis of drone capabilities, on-site inspections and monitoring, and cross-referencing with satellite and geolocation data.
We would like to end by posing a variation on the question asked to the Russian delegation on 29 Oct 25: 'Given the rising number of civilian casualties, including children, in residential areas, medical facilities, and educational institutions, how does the Russian Federation reconcile its official position that it does not intentionally target civilians, particularly while Russia has denied access to independent verification mechanisms?
We urge the Russian delegation to respond to this and other questions raised in the Forum for Security Co-operation. If the delegation here in Vienna lacks the necessary information, we encourage them to consult Moscow and return with a substantive response. Ignoring these important questions is not neutrality, it is evasion. And these questions will not go away. Thank you, Madam Chair.
