Number of civilians killed in Ukraine exceeds 10,000, UN says

GENEVA (Reuters) – More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, with almost half of the recent deaths taking place far behind the front lines, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday. United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR).

The HCDC mission to Ukraine, which has dozens of observers in the country, said it expected the actual toll to be “significantly higher” than the official toll, with corroboration work still underway.

It was particularly during events in the first months following the invasion, such as the battle for control of Mariupol, that residents reported large numbers of civilian casualties.

“Ten thousand civilians killed is a dark milestone for Ukraine,” said Danielle Bell, who leads the monitoring mission.

“The Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, which is entering its 21st month, risks turning into a protracted conflict, the human cost of which is difficult to imagine,” she added.

The vast majority of deaths were caused by explosive weapons with wide area impact, such as shells, missiles and cluster bombs, according to the United Nations.

Nearly half of the deaths in the past three months occurred beyond the front lines, according to the UN, which attributes the situation to Russian forces’ use of long-range missiles, as well as to the late explosion of abandoned devices.

Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians.

(Reporting Emma Farge, French version Stéphanie Hamel, editing by Kate Entringer)