Documenting the horrors of Russia's invasion - a chat with the head of the UN Human Rights Mission in Ukraine

We all read in history books the horrors of World War II, and collectively said "never again". Yet here we are in Europe, and it's happening again.

Far too often I speak with those outside of Ukraine who have either forgotten about what Russia has done to innocent civilians in Ukraine or who are entirely unaware of what has happened.

To help correct that, I was motivated to do this podcast with the head of the UN Human Rights Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell. The sharp rise in indiscriminate attacks on civilians lately, the kidnapped children, the torture of Ukrainian POWs, the "dire" situation for Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territory, and much more - we cover as much as possible to remind the world of the horrors of what Russia has done in Ukraine.

Please do share this episode to help keep up awareness. It's concerning how many people outside Ukraine are unaware of the severity of what Russia has done here.

Reports cited in the show:

• UN report on "human safari" - https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/un-commission-concludes-russian-armed-forces-drone-attacks-against-civilians
• UN report on forced displacement - https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/Forced-displacement-from-territory-of-Ukraine-occupied-by-the-Russian-Federation
• UN report on impact on children - https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/The-impact-of-the-armed-conflict-and-occupation-on-childrens-rights-in-Ukraine-24-February-2022-31-December-2024

About the Guest

Danielle Bell is the Head of Mission, UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). She has led UN human rights programs for more than 25 years, working mainly in conflict and post-conflict contexts. Prior to coming to Ukraine, Ms. Bell served as the Chief of the Human Rights Office in the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and the representative in Iraq of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a position she held since 2018, after leading the UN human rights component in Afghanistan at the same level 2015 to 2018. Since 2001, Ms. Bell has also led human rights teams within UN peace missions in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Sudan (Darfur) and Timor-Leste.

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