STATEMENT of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (CFTUU) and the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FTUU) regarding the massive missile and drone attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukraine during the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva.

At a time when the global trade union community has gathered in Geneva for the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference to discuss decent work, social justice, and peace, Ukrainians once again woke up to the sounds of explosions, air raid sirens, and falling debris.

On the morning of June 6 — the tragic anniversary of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam by Russian forces in 2023 — Russia launched one of the most massive attacks since the start of the full-scale war. Ukraine was targeted with 407 Shahed kamikaze drones, 6 ballistic missiles, and 36 cruise missiles. The targets were not military installations.

The targets were peaceful cities, homes, hospitals, energy infrastructure, schools — everything that sustains life. Explosions and fires erupted in Kyiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Lutsk. In the capital, residential buildings, an educational institution, and industrial enterprises were damaged. What was destroyed is not just concrete and steel. These are lost lives, shattered families, and destroyed workplaces.

We mourn with the families of the victims. Among at least four killed in Kyiv were three brave workers of the State Emergency Service — Pavlo Yezhor, Danylo Skadin, and Andrii Remennyi — who gave their lives while rescuing others. These are true heroes of labour.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were again left without electricity, heating, and water. In the first four months of 2025 alone, Russian aggression led to 331 documented work related incidents, resulting in the deaths of 56 workers. These are not just statistics — these are daily human tragedies.

Russia is violating not only international humanitarian law but also the core principles of the International Labour Organization.

The values echoed from the ILO rostrum — freedom, dignity, safety, peace — are being trampled daily by the Russian Federation.

Articles of Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions — prohibiting attacks on civilians, civilian objects, and essential infrastructure — are being blatantly disregarded. These actions are not merely war crimes; they are barbaric acts in the 21st century.

Key ILO conventions are being violated, including Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize. Under conditions of occupation, repression, and terror, Russia has imposed so-called “representative offices” of its own trade union — the FNPR — in the temporarily occupied territories, seeking to legitimize illegal annexation. This is a mockery of freedom of association.

We call on our fellow trade unionists around the world — all those who believe in solidarity, dignity, and humanity — to:

• Clearly and unequivocally condemn the latest wave of Russian bombings of Ukrainian cities and the killing of civilians;

• Demand stronger economic, humanitarian, and military support for Ukraine from your governments;

• Push for intensified sanctions against the aggressor state that continues to kill and destroy in defiance of international norms;

 • Call for the prosecution of all those responsible for war crimes;

• Demand the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages and the immediate return of all abducted Ukrainian children.

Today, we are fighting not only for our land. We are fighting for the values that unite us — decent work, the right to life, the right to safety, the right to solidarity. Stop Russian terror. Defend peace and justice.

In solidarity,

Mykhailo Volynets, President of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU)

Grygorii Osovyi, President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FTUU)

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