Russian forces staged a mass drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late on Tuesday, triggering fires, injuring at least seven people and badly damaging buildings and vehicles, the regional governor said.
Ivan Fedorov, posting on the Telegram messaging app, said the attack had destroyed shops, damaged other buildings and smashed cars. He said seven people had been injured, with three of them in hospital.
“A rescue operation is currently underway at 12 locations,” Fedorov said in a video posted online. “The maximum number of units from the State Emergency Services, national police and our medical teams has been deployed.”
Pictures posted online showed firefighters battling blazes at high-rise apartment buildings and gutted vehicles on city streets.
Russian forces occupy large swathes of territory in Zaporizhzhia region and have been making recent gains, though the city of the same name remains under Ukrainian control.
The Russia-appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia region held by Russia, Yevgeny Belitsky, said Ukrainian forces had attacked power grid infrastructure in Russian-controlled areas.
Belitsky, writing on Telegram, said power had been cut to 40,000 customers in Russian-controlled towns in the region.
![]()
Russian drones injure seven, cause mass damage in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia
Short Url
https://arab.news/cv82w
Russian drones injure seven, cause mass damage in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia
- Russian forces occupy large swathes of territory in Zaporizhzhia region and have been making recent gains
UN rights chief appeals for $400 million as crises mount and funding shrinks
- The UN office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas
- Volker Turk’s office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024
GENEVA: UN human rights chief Volker Turk appealed for $400 million on Thursday to address mounting human rights needs in countries such as Sudan and Myanmar, after donor funding cuts drastically reduced the work of his office and left it in “survival mode.”
The UN office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas due to a fall in contributions from countries including the US and Europe.
“We are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain,” Turk told delegates in a speech in Geneva, urging countries to step up support.
In the last year, Turk’s office raised alarm about human rights violations in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar, among others.
However, due to slashes in funding, Turk’s office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024, and reduced its presence in 17 countries, he said. Last year it received $90 million less in funding than it needed, which resulted in 300 job cuts, directly impacting the office’s work, Turk said in December.
“We cannot afford a human rights system in crisis,” he stated.
Turk listed examples of the impacts of cuts, noting the Myanmar program was cut by more than 60 percent in the last year, limiting its ability to gather evidence.
A UN probe into possible war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also struggling to become fully operational due to limited funding, while work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people globally has been cut up to 75 percent, the office said.
“This means more hate speech and attacks, and fewer laws to stop them,” Turk stated.
The UN human rights office is responsible for investigating rights violations. Its work contributes to UN Security Council deliberations and is widely used by international courts, according to the office.
The UN office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas due to a fall in contributions from countries including the US and Europe.
“We are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain,” Turk told delegates in a speech in Geneva, urging countries to step up support.
In the last year, Turk’s office raised alarm about human rights violations in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar, among others.
However, due to slashes in funding, Turk’s office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024, and reduced its presence in 17 countries, he said. Last year it received $90 million less in funding than it needed, which resulted in 300 job cuts, directly impacting the office’s work, Turk said in December.
“We cannot afford a human rights system in crisis,” he stated.
Turk listed examples of the impacts of cuts, noting the Myanmar program was cut by more than 60 percent in the last year, limiting its ability to gather evidence.
A UN probe into possible war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also struggling to become fully operational due to limited funding, while work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people globally has been cut up to 75 percent, the office said.
“This means more hate speech and attacks, and fewer laws to stop them,” Turk stated.
The UN human rights office is responsible for investigating rights violations. Its work contributes to UN Security Council deliberations and is widely used by international courts, according to the office.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.