UN News Today 24 February 2026 |

Ukraine wakes to more violence as war sparked by Russia enters fifth year

War must never be the new normal in Ukraine or anywhere else, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday – four years to the day since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Her comments echoed the UN Secretary-General’s assessment that the ongoing war “is a stain on our collective consciousness”.

Meanwhile, UN aid officials emphasised the immense human and economic toll of the conflict, as reports indicated that Russian drone attacks had injured at least five people in the frontline southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.

Here’s Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine:

“2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. At least 2,500 civilians were killed and over 12,000 injured last year. This is a more than 30 per cent increase compared with 2024.”

Mr. Schmale condemned systematic attacks on energy infrastructure that have disrupted electricity, heating and water supplies across the country.

In some cases, the Russian strikes have been leaving entire towns without electricity and water supply for weeks.

Somalia alert as acute hunger doubles in the space of a year

To Somalia, where worsening drought, floods and conflict have left double the number of people suffering from acute hunger, compared with last year.

According to globally respected food insecurity experts IPC, 6.5 million Somalis now face high levels of acute food insecurity and 1.8 million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition between now and June.

The worrying development comes after last month’s Deyr season harvest failed and the Shabelle river dried up. Those most impacted are pastoralists, farmers and internally displaced people, who make up about one in four of the Somali population.

Rising food prices are also driving the emergency, along with chronic insecurity linked to insurgents across central and southern Somalia, with parts of the north affected, too.

The continuing drop in humanitarian assistance is making matters worse, with assistance available to fewer than one in five of those in need in January, the IPC assessment noted.

Gaza’s children refuse to give up on their future, says UNICEF

To Gaza, where children are expressing their hopes for peace through art, poetry and models that they’ve made from rubble created by the war.

With help from UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, thousands of young people across the enclave have taken part in The Gaza We Want initiative.

Its aim is to help children aged five to 18 share their vision for rebuilding the territory that’s been largely destroyed since war erupted between Hamas and Israel in October 2023.

So far, more than 11,000 children – including those with disabilities – have set out what they need most: first is safety, followed by schools, hospitals, trees and playgrounds.

UNICEF’s Jonathan Crickx said that when children independently draw clean streets, classrooms and parks, “it is not a coincidence – it is a direct call to the world”.

Mr. Crickx described meeting 15-year-old Hala at a temporary learning centre in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah.

Months without school had harmed her education but she dreams of a safe life, a safe home, her own bedroom and a good school, he said.

Despite the ceasefire – in place since last October – more than 135 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza. UNICEF says that listening to children must be the foundation of any credible reconstruction.

Daniel Johnson, UN News