Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / UKRAINE
STORY: UN / UKRAINE
TRT: 05:02
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 20 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
20 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, United Nations:
“Russian attacks continued to intensify, with mounting civilian casualties and devastation across Ukraine. On 9th of April, following Ukraine's earlier proposal of an Easter ceasefire, the Russian Federation announced a 32-hour Easter truce from 11 to 12 April. Ukraine responded that it would reciprocate. We welcome initiatives, even a limited one, that will bring respite for the civilian population. We regret, however, that this temporary pause in fighting that could have allowed a peaceful celebration of Orthodox Easter was not respected.”
5. Wide shot, Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, United Nations:
“On the night from 15 to 16 April, the Russian Federation launched its deadliest attack so far this year, targeting Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions. In the city of Odessa and Dnipro, residential buildings were hit, reportedly killing at least nine and five people, respectively. In total, across the country, at least 20 people, including at least one child, were reportedly killed and dozens more injured by this attack.”
7. Close up, screens
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, United Nations:
“Five years in, the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to test international law, drive deepening divisions, and undermine the broader rules-based multilateral order. Beyond the immediate conflict zone, the war has heightened regional tensions and insecurity, with drones reportedly sighted this month in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to ending this war, guided by the principle and obligations set out in the United Nations Charter.”
9. Wide shot, Council, Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya on screen
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“Since we last briefed this Council one month ago, attacks have intensified and civilians continue to bear the brunt. Missile, drone, and artillery strikes have hit residential areas, public transport, energy systems, and port infrastructure. Hostilities over the weekend caused civilian casualties and damage to homes and other civilian infrastructure on both sides of the front.”
11. Med shot, Russian Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“Homes damaged once, are hit again. Schools and essential services remain under immense strain. Damage to energy infrastructure has created a systemic shock, disrupting electricity, water, heating, and essential services on which millions depend. Power outages on both sides of the front line are compounding hardship for already vulnerable communities.”
13. Med shot, Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Melnyk
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“Continued damage to energy infrastructure is expected to have far reaching humanitarian consequences through the summer months and into the next winter season. International humanitarian law is clear. Civilians and the infrastructure essential to their well-being must be protected.”
15. Med shot, Khiari
16. Med shot, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia addressing Council
17. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“We can’t fail to comment on allegations against the Russian Federation alleging violations of a Russian President's announced Easter truce. We hope that this measure did indeed allow for the vast majority of Orthodox worshippers to peacefully celebrate the holy day. Kyiv, of course, immediately began to hurl allegations against Russia, alleging ceasefire violations. However, the Russian side verified at least 6,500 ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
18. Wide shot, Council
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrii Melnyk, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“Mr. Putin is raising the stakes in this ferocious game, issuing ultimatums, and addressing US mediators, demanding that Ukraine voluntarily withdraw from the Donetsk region as a precondition for any peace talks. I wish to reiterate once and for all that Ukraine rejects any type of ultimatum. We will never, ever abandon a single square millimetre of our soil and we will never, ever abandon any of our fellow citizens.”
20. Wide shot, end of Council session
Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari today (20 Apr) told the Security Council that “five years in, the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to test international law, drive deepening divisions, and undermine the broader rules-based multilateral order.”
Khiari said Russian attacks “continued to intensify,” during the reporting period “with mounting civilian casualties and devastation across Ukraine.”
He noted that on 9th of April, “following Ukraine's earlier proposal of an Easter ceasefire, the Russian Federation announced a 32-hour Easter truce from 11 to 12 April,” adding that Ukraine “responded that it would reciprocate.”
However, Khiari said, “this temporary pause in fighting that could have allowed a peaceful celebration of Orthodox Easter was not respected.”
On the night from 15 to 16 April, he continued, “the Russian Federation lunched its deadliest attack so far this year, targeting Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions.”
In the city of Odessa and Dnipro, the official said, “residential buildings were hit, reportedly killing at least nine and five people, respectively. In total, across the country, at least 20 people, including at least one child, were reportedly killed and dozens more injured by this attack.”
Beyond the immediate conflict zone, Khiari said, “the war has heightened regional tensions and insecurity, with drones reportedly sighted this month in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland.”
He said, “we must remain steadfast in our commitment to ending this war, guided by the principle and obligations set out in the United Nations Charter.”
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Operations Joyce Msuya told the Council that “attacks have intensified and civilians continue to bear the brunt,” as “missile, drone, and artillery strikes have hit residential areas, public transport, energy systems and port infrastructure.”
Msuya said, “hostilities over the weekend caused civilian casualties and damage to homes and other civilian infrastructure on both sides of the front.”
Damage to energy infrastructure, she said, “has created a systemic shock, disrupting electricity, water, heating and essential services on which millions depend” while “power outages on both sides of the front line are compounding hardship for already vulnerable communities.”
Msuya said, “continued damage to energy infrastructure is expected to have far reaching humanitarian consequences through the summer months and into the next winter season. International humanitarian law is clear. Civilians and the infrastructure essential to their well-being must be protected.”
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia commented on allegations of Russian violations of the Easter truce.
He said, “we hope that this measure did indeed allow for the vast majority of Orthodox worshippers to peacefully celebrate the holy day. Kyiv, of course, immediately began to hurl allegations against Russia, alleging ceasefire violations. However, the Russian side verified at least 6,500 ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Melnyk for his part said, “Mr. Putin is raising the stakes in this ferocious game, issuing ultimatums, and addressing US mediators, demanding that Ukraine voluntarily withdraw from the Donetsk region as a precondition for any peace talks. I wish to reiterate once and for all that Ukraine rejects any type of ultimatum. We will never, ever abandon a single square millimetre of our soil and we will never, ever abandon any of our fellow citizens.”
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), of the 10.8 million people requiring humanitarian assistance this year, millions remain beyond our reach.
Nearly three quarters of the $2.3 billion needed to assist the targeted 4.1 million people – nearly one in every eight Ukrainians – remain unfunded. That’s almost $1.7 billion still to be funded.
