According to the UN, 18,096 Ukrainian civilians have suffered since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, including 6,952 killed and 11,144 wounded.. The real numbers could be much higher..

This was stated by UN Deputy Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo, speaking on Friday at a meeting of the Security Council, which was dedicated to the crisis in Ukraine, Voice of America reports..

According to her, the Russian invasion led to the fact that 7.9 million Ukrainians were forced to leave and move to neighboring European countries.. Another 5.91 million people became internally displaced.

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Systematic attacks on civilian infrastructure exacerbate the situation, forcing more people to leave their homes.

At the moment, the Deputy Secretary General emphasized, the United Nations Development Program, in cooperation with the World Bank, is assessing the damage caused to Ukraine.

In particular, the assessment of damage to the power system and the scope of work to restore it is 90 percent complete..

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As of January 4, there were 745 attacks on medical facilities in Ukraine, which is the highest figure in the world.. In Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions, up to 50 percent of all medical facilities are partially or completely unable to function.

According to Dikralo, the inhabitants of Ukraine spent almost all the winter holidays in bomb shelters and basements, hiding from Russian shelling.. Shelling continued even on Orthodox Christmas, when Moscow announced a unilateral ceasefire.

“Practically all of Ukraine celebrated the New Year to the sound of air-raid alarms,” the UN news website quoted Dicarlo as saying..

Particularly fierce fighting, according to a press release, unfolded in the area of \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bBakhmut and Soledar, where shelling and street skirmishes pose a particular danger to civilians..

According to Dicarlo, since the beginning of December in Bakhmut alone, 22 civilians have been killed and 72 more injured as a result of intensified hostilities..

At the same time, DiCarlo noted that the UN welcomes contacts between the parties related to the exchange of prisoners of war.. Last Sunday, 50 prisoners of war from each side were released..

“We were also inspired by the meeting held on January 11 in Turkey between the Ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine, dedicated to the same topic,” DiCarlo added..

The UN Deputy Secretary General also noted the successful implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which, as she noted, contributes to reducing food prices.. To date, 17 million tons of food have been exported under this program, which has been delivered to 43 countries.. Approximately 20 percent of recipients are classified by the World Bank as low- or middle-income countries.

The UN is also working to remove the remaining obstacles to Russian food and fertilizers on the way to world markets..

“This is a key condition for preventing price increases, and we encourage all stakeholders to work towards this,” DiCarlo added..

Speaking at a meeting of the Security Council, DiCarlo recalled the words of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has repeatedly stated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter and international law. The war has led to catastrophic consequences, but even they may fade against the backdrop of what promises the world a protracted conflict. So far, the end of this war is not in sight, said the representative of the UN.

“Today, the logic of war reigns, leaving very little, if any, space for dialogue,” she stressed.. But all wars end eventually. This one will also end. Ukraine, Russia and the whole world cannot cope with its continuation”.

Rosemary DiCarlo said that the UN Secretary General is ready to provide support to the parties in order to end "

Recall, earlier the speaker of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, admitted that potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on ending the war are complicated by Russian shelling.. “Russian bombing is prolonging this war and complicating any negotiations,” he said.. Other Western leaders also acknowledge that Putin is not keen on peace talks..