Statement by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations H.E. Mr. Julius Pranevičius at the Security Council Open Debate on “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict”
Statement by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations H.E. Mr. Julius Pranevičius at the Security Council Open Debate on “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict” on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.
Thank you, Mr. President,
Lithuania aligns itself with the EU statement.
From the DRC and Sudan to the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, Ukraine, and many other parts of the world, civilians continue to bear the heaviest burden of armed conflict, as the number of conflicts worldwide continues to rise. Despite the clear obligation under international law to protect civilians, every day we witness deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure, targeted killings, unlawful deportation, torture, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, and other forms of cruel and degrading treatment, including towards children.
Ensuring accountability for perpetrators must remain a central priority, particularly when certain international actors, including a permanent member of the Security Council, continue to blatantly violate the UN Charter and inflict immense human suffering. Only by ending impunity we can deter further atrocities and bring justice to victims and survivors.
Now in its fifth year, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues in complete disregard of international humanitarian law. Deliberate attacks against civilians have already claimed thousands of lives, including those of children.
As reported by OCHA, on May 12 in Dnipro, a World Food Programme truck delivering aid to front-line communities was struck by a drone. On May 14, a clearly marked United Nations vehicle that was part of a humanitarian convoy was struck twice in Kherson. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMMU) highlights that more people were killed and injured in Ukraine in the first four months of 2026 than in the same period in any of the last three years.
A particularly critical situation we would like to draw your attention to is in the occupied Oleshky. The city is on the brink of a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe. The civilian population is being deliberately deprived of the most basic conditions necessary for survival. This is not merely a humanitarian crisis — it is a deliberate campaign of terror by Russia against a peaceful civilian population.
Such acts demand collective action and concrete results to alleviate human suffering, ensure accountability of perpetrators and bring justice to all victims and survivors.
President,
Moreover, civilians are feeling the impact of armed conflicts far beyond active war zones. Today, for the first time since 1990, people in Lithuania had to rush to shelters after an air‑raid alert triggered by a possible drone incursion. The investigation is still ongoing, but one thing is clear: these repeated violations of our airspace are a direct consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the complicity of Belarus. This must stop, just as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine must stop.
Conclusion is evident - we must strengthen international efforts to protect civilians, uphold international humanitarian law, and ensure that those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity are held fully accountable. Silence and inaction only embolden perpetrators.
I thank you.
