The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption on 15 December 2025 by the United Nations General Assembly of the updated resolution entitled “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.” The resolution was supported in the General Assembly Hall by 79 UN Member States.
The resolution addresses the human rights situation in all territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and provides for enhanced monitoring of systematic violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by the Russian occupation administration against the local population.
The document clearly condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our State, and underscores the non-recognition of any attempts to alter the status of Ukraine’s territories. The General Assembly demands that the Russian Federation immediately cease its aggression and withdraw all its armed forces from the territory of Ukraine.
This year’s resolution is strengthened by new provisions that explicitly condemn torture, inhuman treatment and other grave human rights violations suffered by Ukrainian prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians.
The resolution is based on the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry into crimes committed by the Russian Federation, which confirm cases of enforced disappearances and torture both in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and on the territory of the Russian Federation itself. It also specifically condemns the systematic refusal of the Russian authorities to provide information on the fate and whereabouts of abducted or captured Ukrainians and puts forward a clear demand for the immediate disclosure of such information.
In this context, the United Nations General Assembly calls on Russia to ensure unhindered access for international mechanisms, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross, to places of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees, to guarantee them adequate medical care, and to carry out a full exchange of prisoners.
The General Assembly also calls on Russia to release all unlawfully detained persons, including Crimean Tatars, civilians, political prisoners and journalists.
The General Assembly recalls the “final” warning issued by the UN Secretary-General to the Russian Federation regarding the possible inclusion of Russia in the so-called “list of shame” for conflict-related sexual violence. It is further emphasized that Russia has already been listed for the third consecutive year as a “persistent perpetrator” for the killing and maiming of Ukrainian children, as well as for attacks on educational and medical facilities in Ukraine.
The resolution is an important instrument for continued independent monitoring and reporting by the UN Secretary-General on the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, contributing to the documentation and investigation of crimes committed by the Russian Federation.
Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude to UN Member States for their consistent support. The principled position of the General Assembly and the international community constitutes an important step toward restoring respect for international law, ensuring accountability of the Russian Federation for the crimes committed, and creating conditions for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of the UN Charter.