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Briefing the Security Council on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, UN chief of political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said, “The increase in casualties among children is particularly distressing.” UNIFEED
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STORY: UN / UKRAINE
TRT: 04:43
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS

DATELINE: 16 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters

16 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“Last year, the total number of civilians killed and injured was 30 per cent higher than the year before, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The increase in casualties among children is particularly distressing. More children were killed or injured in the first three quarters of 2024 than in all of 2023.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“There are reports that military personnel from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) were captured in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. The reported involvement of the DPRK troops in fighting alongside the Russian forces continues to raise serious concerns regarding further internationalization of this already dangerous conflict.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“Just yesterday, Ukraine suffered the latest wave of country-wide Russian attacks systematically targeting civilian energy infrastructure. In the last months of 2024, Russia conducted at least four similar large-scale, coordinated attacks. We condemn such reprehensible tactics, which terrorize the civilian population and deprive it of basic services. They must end.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Republic of Korea:
“Mr. President, the testimonies of two North Korean soldiers recently captured by Ukraine's military in the Kursk region clearly demonstrated that North Korean troops are engaged in combat and being dissipated as expendables. According to video footage released a few days ago, those two North Korean soldiers indicated that they were unaware of being deployed for the war against Ukraine. Instead, told they were merely participating in combat simulation drills. As a native Korean speaker, I can definitely tell that those two soldiers spoke in Korean with North Korean accents.”
10. Med shot, Russian representative Vasily Nebenzya on his phone
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Republic of Korea:
“Furthermore, these troops were even told to take their own lives rather than surrender. In the memos carried by those killed North Korean authorities pressured them to commit suicide to avoid capture. Despite Pyongyang's efforts to muzzle any rumors in this regard, our intelligence reports assessed that news of these troops’ deployment is now spreading across North Korea, and the families of those dispatched have expressed utmost fear and anxiety of their sons and brothers being used as slave soldiers and mere cannon fodder.”
12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The rumors in Kyiv suggest that the regime, together with its UK sponsors, is preparing a large-scale bloody provocation for which Russia will be blamed. Amid this, a popular online slogan in Ukraine social networks has emerged: "Flee Ukraine before it's too late." Ukrainians are referring to the country as a "Zelenskyy’s concentration camp," this is what the country is being called now, after the former comedian canceled any elections. Potential soldiers are fleeing the training grounds of Western countries. Politicians are fleeing, members of parliament are fleeing, as well as Supreme Court justices, diplomats and athletes.”
13. Wide shot, Security Council
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“We all remember how vehemently Russia denied in this chamber any involvement of the DPRK troops in the war against Ukraine. Russian DPR, for instance, called this information, I quote, “fearmongering” and oddly mentioned, I quote “Martians and Little Green Men,” perhaps being inspired by visions only he could see. Three weeks later, his policy described an idyllic picture of Russia-DPRK partnership that I quote, "is not directed against any third countries." End of quote. Last week, Ukrainian defense forces captured North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region.”
15. Wide shot, end of Security Council

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Storyline

Briefing the Security Council on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, UN chief of political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said, “The increase in casualties among children is particularly distressing.” According to DiCarlo, civilian casualties surged by 30 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, with more children killed or injured in the first three quarters of 2024 than in all of 2023.

DiCarlo condemned recent large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, calling them “reprehensible tactics” designed to terrorize civilians and deprive them of basic services. These systematic assaults, including one just yesterday, marked the latest in a series of coordinated strikes targeting critical infrastructure, she said.

Today’s (16 Jan) briefing also highlighted allegations of North Korean involvement in the conflict. DiCarlo noted reports of military personnel from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) being captured in the Kursk region of Russia, raising fears of “further internationalization” of the war.

South Korea’s Representative, Joonkook Hwang, elaborated on these reports, stating, “The testimonies of two North Korean soldiers recently captured by Ukraine’s military in the Kursk region clearly demonstrated that North Korean troops are engaged in combat and being dissipated as expendables.” Hwang revealed that the soldiers were allegedly deceived into believing they were participating in training drills.

Hwang also accused North Korean authorities of pressuring troops to commit suicide to avoid capture, describing the deployment as a “horrifying use of slave soldiers.” South Korean intelligence reports, he added, suggest that news of these deployments is spreading within North Korea, causing “utmost fear and anxiety” among the families of those sent to fight.

“Nevertheless, Russia and North Korea still refuse to acknowledge the dispatch of North Korean soldiers and falsely claim that the military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is in full compliance with obligations under international law, but the entirety of their military cooperation is in clear violation of multiple Security Council resolutions,” said Hwang.

Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzya questioned the validity of the claims, suggesting that Ukraine and its allies may be presenting unsubstantiated narratives. He alleged, “The (Kyiv) regime, together with its UK sponsors, is preparing a large-scale bloody provocation for which Russia will be blamed.” Nebenzya also criticized Ukraine’s leadership, claiming that the country has become a “Zelenskyy concentration camp” and alleging mass defections among Ukrainian politicians and military personnel.

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative Sergiy Kyslytsya recalled prior Russian statements on DPRK troop involvement. “We all remember how vehemently Russia denied in this chamber any involvement of the DPRK troops in the war against Ukraine,” he said, referencing Russia’s comments about the issue in past Security Council’s sessions. Kyslytsya confirmed that Ukrainian forces had captured North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region last week.

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