The European Union, in a statement delivered on 3 July 2026 at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, condemned Russia's deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians, civilian infrastructure, and energy infrastructure, and expressed deep concern over the increasing number of executions of prisoners of war by Russian armed forces. The EU also condemned the systematic use of torture, including sexual violence, and summary executions of civilian detainees in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The statement, delivered during an interactive dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, with the highest number of civilian casualties recorded in May 2026, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. The EU recalled that the Commission of Inquiry's findings over four mandates showed the gravity of violations and crimes has increased over time, including war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia.
The EU's statement highlighted serious concerns from the Secretary-General's interim report on human rights in Crimea, which documented continuing violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories. These include imposition of Russian laws, forced conscriptions, extrajudicial executions, torture and sexual violence against civilian detainees, inhumane detention conditions, deaths in custody, enforced disappearance, transfer of protected persons including children, and other violations of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.
The EU reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring accountability for all international crimes and demanded that Russia cease its aggression, withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The EU also urged Russia to ensure the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of all forcibly transferred Ukrainian children. In a question to the High Commissioner, the EU asked how the Human Rights Council could further contribute to the protection of children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.