In its report on Ukraine, the UN highlighted the problem of high costs in the rear and the torture of prisoners, and also condemned the ban on the UOC

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has released a report on Ukraine covering the period from 1 June to 30 November 2025. It points to serious human rights problems in Ukraine.

The document was published on the UN website.

The Office noted that Ukrainian internally displaced persons are returning to dangerous front-line areas due to the high cost of living in the rear. During the reporting period, more than 130,000 people left front-line territories. After evacuation, displaced persons faced major economic difficulties: a higher cost of living in safer areas, particularly due to high rental prices that their income could not cover.

The UN stated that the system for housing displaced persons in Ukraine “does not provide sustainable solutions.” The report stresses that “not all transit centers were accessible,” while there was a “serious shortage of affordable long-term housing.”

In addition, non-governmental organizations involved in evacuation and accommodation continued to face funding shortages and difficulties in finding housing that meets the specific needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities.

As a result, the report notes, “some internally displaced persons considered returning or did return to unsafe areas because of a lack of means of subsistence,” despite ongoing hostilities.

The UN also condemned the law that opens the way for banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The document states that a church cannot be persecuted solely on the basis of historical ties with the Russian Federation.

“Canonical or historical ties with a foreign religious center alone cannot serve as grounds for banning a religious organization. Measures affecting freedom of religion must be strictly individualized, evidence-based, and comply with the principle of proportionality. Otherwise, such measures may lead to violations of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion guaranteed by international law,” the UN stated.

The document says that searches, investigative actions, and interrogations in religious institutions are continuing in Ukraine. In a number of cases, local authorities restricted or terminated the activities of religious communities, including by refusing to extend leases for religious buildings.

“The authorities continued to apply criminal, administrative and other restrictive measures against representatives of religious organizations, citing national security considerations. Such measures create a risk of collective responsibility when restrictions are applied not on the basis of individual conduct, but to a religious group as a whole. Any state interference with freedom of thought, conscience and religion must be necessary and proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued,” the report says.

In addition, the UN accused both Ukraine and Russia of killings and torture of prisoners of war. Since mid-November, there has been an increase in reports of executions of Ukrainian servicemen. According to the UN, there is credible information about the killing of 14 Ukrainian prisoners of war after their capture by Russian forces, and another 10 such cases are under investigation. Four cases of executions of Russian prisoners of war by the Ukrainian armed forces have also been documented. In addition, credible allegations of three more such incidents are being examined.

From 1 June 2025, UN staff interviewed 187 Ukrainian prisoners of war after their release. 185 of them reported torture and ill-treatment, and most reported sexual violence.

Separately, the report notes that 127 Russian prisoners of war and 10 citizens of third countries held in custody in Ukraine were interviewed. About half of them reported torture and ill-treatment at transit points before arriving at official places of detention.

In the summer, the U.S. State Department published a report on the human rights situation in Ukraine in 2024. The department noted major problems in this area.