Mr. Chairperson,

Ukraine thanks the Georgian FSC Chairpersonship for organizing today’s Security Dialogue on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls.

Distinguished colleagues,

For Ukraine, this issue is highly relevant. For more than four years of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression, Ukrainian women and girls have been living under missile attacks, drone strikes, occupation, displacement, loss of homes, separation from families, economic hardship, trauma, and the constant threat of violence. Russia’s war has turned the issue of women’s security from a policy discussion into a matter of daily survival.

Distinguished colleagues,

According to UN Women, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 5,000 women and girls have been confirmed killed and around 14,000 injured, with the real toll likely to be higher. In the first months of 2026 alone, the number of women and girls killed continued to rise, reflecting the increasingly deadly nature of Russia’s aerial terror against Ukrainian cities and communities.

Behind each number there is a life: a mother killed in her apartment, a girl wounded on her way to school, a grandmother left without heating after another Russian strike on energy infrastructure, a woman who lost her home and now has to rebuild her family’s life from zero.

The OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security reminds us that security forces must be subject to democratic control, respect human rights and act in accordance with international law. Russia’s conduct is the opposite. Its war of aggression violates the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the very principles of responsible security governance reflected in the Code of Conduct.

There is also another dimension that cannot be ignored — Ukrainian children illegally deported or forcibly transferred by Russia. According to Ukraine’s official Children of War platform, more than 20,500 Ukrainian children have been deported and/or forcibly displaced, and only a small part of them have so far been returned. Among these children are girls whose childhood, identity, language, family ties and future Russia is trying to erase. This is also part of the gendered impact of Russia’s war: girls are exposed to forced displacement, indoctrination, separation from families, loss of education, and heightened vulnerability to abuse.

Mr. Chairperson,

The impact of Russia’s war on women and girls is multidimensional: physical, psychological, social, economic and institutional. It affects their security, dignity, education, health, livelihoods and participation. It also affects the resilience of the entire Ukrainian society.

Therefore, support for Ukraine is also support for Ukrainian women and girls. Air defence systems protect them from Russian missiles and drones. Humanitarian assistance helps survivors. Support for women-led organizations keeps communities resilient. Assistance for documentation and accountability gives survivors a path to justice. Support for the return of Ukrainian children brings families back together.

Ukraine will continue to promote gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace and security. But the first and most urgent condition for protecting women and girls is clear: Russia must stop its war of aggression, withdraw all its forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory, return all deported Ukrainian children, and be held accountable for its crimes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.