More than 10,000 civilians killed in Ukraine war (UN)

Many observers at the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine expressed hope that the actual death toll would be “considerably higher” than the official figure, as confirmation efforts are still underway. Image courtesy Reuters

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 10,000 people have died there, more than half of which occurred far away. battle lines.

Many observers at the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine expressed hope that the actual death toll would be “considerably higher” than the official figure, as confirmation efforts are still underway.

This includes fighting for control of Mariupol in the first months after the invasion, during which residents reported significant civilian casualties.

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“Ten thousand civilian deaths is a grim milestone for Ukraine,” said Danielle Bell, who heads the monitoring mission.

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

According to the UN, wide-range explosive weapons, such as shells, missiles and cluster munitions, are responsible for the vast majority of deaths.

The UN said about half of the deaths in the past three months occurred far from the front lines, attributing this to the use of long-range missiles by Russian forces and the delayed explosion of abandoned weapons.

Moscow denies deliberately targeting people.

(With contributions from the agency)