Press Conference: The situation in Ukraine

And with that, let me turn over to our guest, Alexander Ducrow, who has been waiting patiently and who is joining us from Kyiv in Ukraine, where he is currently on mission. Mr. Ducrow, welcome.

Thank you. Hello, everyone. I'm standing here in Kyiv. You see the Maidan Square in my back. Second day of... visit here in Ukraine. I had the occasion today to meet many ministers, Minister of Finance, Minister of Infrastructure and Local Communities, was also at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And tomorrow, I will be, amongst others, meeting the prime minister. UNDP and the UN family has been standing on the side of the Ukrainians from the start of this large-scale invasion of the country. We have a broad range of activity here in Ukraine, and UNDP is the largest operator of the U.N. family here. Over the last four years, we have been able to raise $1.3 billion U.S. in assistance to the Ukrainian people. And I really would want to use this occasion to thank our major donors, all of our donors, but I would like to thank the five biggest ones, which is Norway, which is Japan, the European Union, Sweden, and Denmark. As said, UNDP is active in a broad range of activities, but the largest one is energy. Unfortunately, we are heading into the fifth winter of this conflict. And we see that the energy infrastructure is, in a relentless way, being targeted by attacks. And going into the winter makes it even more dramatic, because we know that the winters here in Ukraine can be incredibly harsh on the population. Every day, we see that energy is being attacked. And having access to energy makes a difference in being able to have some kind of life. Having access to electricity keeps the school open. Having access to electricity keeps the hospitals open and makes sure that utilities such as water can be accessible. Today, we see that 6.6 million people in Ukraine can have access to electricity because UNDP is assisting them and is rebuilding the energy systems. We are rebuilding the energy systems, but we are especially building them in a better way. We are rebuilding them in a more sustainable way. We are rebuilding them also in a more resilient way. We are moving towards an energy system which is a decentralized system, which in a period of war that we see here, this enables to have a better energy security. And a better energy security is actually linked to security after all. Yesterday, I had the occasion to visit the site of Chernobyl, which unfortunately is one of the most known places in the world because the biggest human-made, human-caused environmental catastrophe took place there. I had the occasion, together with our partners, to open there a solar plant, a solar energy plant. which we have implemented there, thanks to donations of Lithuania, thanks to financial donations of Japan, and thanks to the leadership of our Ukrainian partners and the technical expertise of the NPP. That solar power plant enables us to provide electricity to cool reactor 4, and reactor 4 was the one that was destroyed during the incident that happened in 1986. But I also had the occasion to go inside to the protective structure that is protecting that destroyed nuclear reactor number four. I've also seen how that structure has been attacked during a drone strike. I want to be very, very clear. Anyone who is attacking those protective structures and those protective structures around a nuclear structure is really gambling with the safety of millions of people. A nuclear installation can never be a target. There can absolutely be no excuse. There can absolutely be no ambiguity. This has to stop. A nuclear structure, and especially a nuclear structure after a nuclear accident, can never be a target of drone attacks. This is something which is unacceptable. And there are plenty of rules that make clear that this can never happen, not even in a situation of war. I would like to end my introduction with an impression. Everyone who comes in Ukraine We'll always talk about the courage. We'll always talk about the incredible resilience that we see of the Ukrainian people. And, yes, Ukrainian people are doing everything to have a life, to continue a life in decency, despite the war, despite the full-scale invasion in which they are confronted. But being here, you also see that the nature of war has changed. You see that civilian infrastructure is in a deliberate way being attacked. You see today that a bus stop is being attacked. You see today that infrastructure such as a petrol station is being attacked. And just a few minutes ago, on the other side of this hotel, a business center was being attacked by a drone. It is clear that this is a deliberate attempt to make life in Ukraine and life in Kyiv completely impossible. This is not in line with international humanitarian law. Even in war, there are rules to be followed. These rules came after the Second World War. We have those principles that are there to protect civilians, to protect civilian infrastructure. And we have to be very clear that we condemn these types of attacks. Civilians can never be a military target. Civilian infrastructure can never be a legitimate target of acts of war. There can absolutely be no excuse. There can absolutely be no ambiguity. And there can absolutely be no impunity related to those acts that we have seen here over the past weeks. So, this was my introduction. I'm obviously open to answer any questions.

I'll turn over the floor for questions. First question goes to Edith Lederer.

Thank you very much, Mr. de Crowe, on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing. As Farhan said, my name is Edith Lederer from the Associated Press. First, do you know who was responsible for the drone attack on Chernobyl that hit the dome? And secondly, UNDP is obviously made a major effort to try and ensure that Ukrainians have energy over the winter. Is anyone else doing anything? Because you said your effort was aimed at 6.6 million Ukrainians, but there are millions more Ukrainians all over the country. Thank you.

Of such an incident has to take place in a formal way. But being there and talking to the military that are protecting that site of Chernobyl, it is clear that Russian drones are flying above that site on a daily basis. And they're flying above that site on a daily basis, which is really a dangerous thing to do, because things can go wrong. And it is clear that that attack Being it now a deliberate attack or being it an accident, this is something which is unacceptable and this is also something which should be avoided. Making sure that drones are not flying above that site is one way of avoiding that things like this could happen. As to your second question, look, today, approximately half of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine is being impacted by attacks, and these are attacks where there's absolutely no doubt that these attacks are being conducted by Russia. We try to do our best. to help 6.6 million people. We are not the only organization doing that. The whole U.N. many other U.N. entities are working on that. But it's quite clear that, at this moment, it is never enough. And we are heading for a tough winter. And everyone is aware that, as an international community, we have to do everything to support Ukrainians to avoid that this fifth winter would be the most dramatic that they have ever been confronted with. We put everything in place to assist 6.6 million Ukrainians. But yes, you're right. There's more Ukrainians than that. So any additional help is necessary. And we know that there has been a start of talks over the past days. And any attempt that tries to bring peace in Ukraine, and that would be a just and a lasting and a comprehensive peace, of course, We applaud that. But in parallel to that, today, we need to help Ukrainians to try to live a life in decency, which is incredibly hard, seeing the circumstances with which they are being confronted, and especially circumstances with which civilians are being confronted now. It used to be that the front line was in the east. Today, the front line is everywhere. The front line is really across the country, and that makes life particularly hard for the Ukrainian people.

Thanks.

Volodymyr.

Thank you very much. Volodymyr Ilchenko, National News Agency of Ukraine. Nice to see you standing in Maidan, because I live in there 200 meters from that spot you're standing. And Today, I got two questions. Today, a Russian attack struck a Sunflower oil production facility in Dnipro operated by Bunge, a US-based heavy business company. Does UNDP have any data on foreign private companies in Ukraine whose production facilities or other assets have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks? And there's another question. Do you believe international partners, including the United States, should do more to protect foreign investment and businesses operating in Ukraine from Russian attacks? Thank you.

I don't have a centralized data set of how many civilian targets have been struck. But just being here the past two days, we have heard about petrol stations being attacked. We have heard about buses being attacked. We have now just heard about the business center being attacked. I hear you talk about food processing facilities being attacked. Let me repeat what I said in my introduction. Attacking civil infrastructure can never be a legitimate target. Attacking civilians can never be an acceptable target. This is in contradiction with international humanitarian law. This is in contradiction with the rules of law. And I want to be very clear, we condemn that. There can be absolutely no ambiguity. And to your question, these acts need to be recorded. These acts need to be investigated. so that in the end there can absolutely be no impunity over these acts which are not in line with international rules that we have.

Thank you. Evelyn.

Have the attacks from Russia increased lately? And if so, have they given you any explanation? Because there's it's rare that there is a clean war, and civilians get hit and all sorts of terrible things happen. But have is the trend an increase lately of the bombing or the attack?

Look, I am here in Ukraine. And there's many reasons why I'm here. First of all, to support our staff. We have an incredible UNDP staff here. 90% of them are Ukrainians, and they're doing an incredible job. But also to see firsthand what is going on. If you are here, you hear air attack alarms all the time, all the time. Every two hours, at least, you hear it, and you hear it the whole night through. And this is exhausting the population. And it's -- it really -- the Ukrainian population is really, really at the end of their capability. And we always talk about resilience, but resilience really has its -- has its limits. And it is quite clear that those attacks are deliberate attacks to make life for civilians in Kyiv and in other places completely impossible. And this is not something that can be accepted. And this is something that needs to be recorded, that needs to be investigated. And there can be no impunity on this afterwards. But let us be very clear. I mean, we know that this is a war. The Secretary General has been very clear in condemning this full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and it is quite clear that those drone attacks that we see here have only as goal to weaken the Ukrainian population, the Ukrainian citizens, and this is not something that we can accept.

Thank you. I hope you are safe. But has have the attacks increased lately? Has the trend been far more bombing and drones and so forth?

So, I didn't hear your question 100 percent, but I heard you ask, have the attacks increased? Yes, quite clearly, over the past two weeks, the attacks have increased. The only moment where there were no attacks was when the American envoys were here for the talks that they have had with Ukrainian authorities. And obviously, any type of talks that take place also with Ukrainians, is something that we welcome. But during those two days, there were no attacks. But, unfortunately, since then, the attacks have increased -- have increased again. And I have been here multiple times over the past year, since the start of the war. What we see here, the intensity of the attacks, really show that the front line has moved beyond the eastern part of the country. The front line today is everywhere, and the front line definitely is, unfortunately, also in Kyiv.

Yes, please. Thank you very much. My name is Mona Outul. I'm with Al-Quds Al-Arabi. I have two questions, please. The first one, regarding the increased attacks you mentioned on civilian infrastructure, with the new school year beginning, can you give us any assessment on how these attacks are affecting children's access to education and their ability to get to school safely? Do you want me to?

Sorry, let me maybe answer that question first. That is a great question, because this has been one of the choices of the Ukrainian authorities, is to keep the schools open and to make sure that there is no lost generation. We know that life is dangerous these days in Ukraine. Fortunately, there are shelters. But there is not enough shelters. And there is a shelter coalition that has been started based on the work that Ukraine has been doing with Finland from the start. And many other countries have joined that coalition, and UNDP has joined that coalition as well, with the ambition to create new shelters. Now, creating shelters is expensive, and it takes time. We have also systems of mobile shelters that we can use to bring to places such as schools. But, um, targeting civil infrastructure is, as I said, something which is not acceptable, and definitely schools would be civil infrastructure if they would be a target at some point.

Um, and thank you so much for your answer, and my second question is, um… Um, a few weeks ago, we heard in a press briefing that happened here on Ukrainian detainees and, um, uh, uh, I mean, civilian detainees, sorry, about… 16,000 people still in Russian detention centers. I'm just wondering if you can give us any updates, if you can, on the situation and if there are any new mechanisms being put in place to help families get answers about their loved ones. And thank you.

My apologies on this question. I cannot provide you any fresh information. I mean, this has not been the topic of my visit here and has not been the topic of the work of UNDP here on site.

Last question, Noreen.

Thank you very much. My name is Noreen Hossain with IPS News. I just have one question. By your estimates, how long will it take to restore the energy infrastructures in Ukraine, and if it is even safe to do so in the current conditions?

Well, let me repeat what I said during my briefing. Obviously, condition number one would be an unconditional ceasefire, and an unconditional ceasefire that should lead into a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace. If that were the case, restoring the energy infrastructure would, of course, be much easier. Today, I cannot deny that the work that we are doing is dangerous work, and it's dangerous for U.N. staff. It is dangerous for contractors with whom we work. And unfortunately, life in Ukraine is dangerous for everyone who is here, for the Ukrainians and anyone who is here. An estimate in how much time it would take is actually really, really difficult, because it really depends on the circumstances in which we work. But let me use this occasion to really demand for a ceasefire. A ceasefire would make life for the Ukrainians much less stressful. and would make it easier to help them through winter, which is in any doubt, even if there would be a ceasefire, it is going to be a tough winter for Ukrainians in any case.

If I could ask a quick follow-up then. I mean, to as you've just said that it would need an immediate a ceasefire. Now, if Ukraine and Russia were to reach a ceasefire today or tomorrow, by that measure, how long would it take then for work to begin to restore the infrastructures? Like, if you could give us a timeframe.

Well, first of all, restoring the infrastructure is not waiting for the end of the war. I mean, we have been restoring infrastructure from the start of this war, and there is absolutely no reason to wait for the end of war to restore the infrastructure. And thanks to our partners, we have been able to do this, and despite the war, we will continue doing this. Estimates and how much time it would take, obviously, to restore the full scale of the devastation that we have seen here, it would take years. But that goes beyond energy infrastructure, of course. But the latest estimate that has been done by the World Bank and by U.N. organizations of the cost of restoring the damages of war is beyond $600 billion. I mean, these are gigantic amounts of money. And I think it shows the gigantic endeavor that is in front of us if we would be able to start full-scale restoration, which can only happen if the war would stop. Okay.

I'd like to thank once more our guest, Alexandre de Croo, the Administrator of the UN Development Program. Thank you very much for this briefing, and good luck as you wrap up your work in Kyiv.

Thank you.

Have a good afternoon, everyone.