UN rights office reports 1506 civilian casualties in Ukraine News
© WikiMedia (OHCHR)
UN rights office reports 1506 civilian casualties in Ukraine

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Thursday that 1506 civilian casualties have been recorded in Ukraine since the Russian Federation launched an armed attack against the country on February 24, 2022. The casualties include 549 deaths and 957 injuries.

The two territories that Russia recognized as independent territories, Donetsk and Luhansk, had the highest number of casualties. Further, the OHCHR said that the majority of the civilian casualties were caused by the deployment of explosive weapons with a large impact area, such as shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, as well as missile and airstrikes.

However, the OHCHR highlighted that the actual numbers are far higher, particularly in the areas controlled by the government. In addition, many reports are still awaiting confirmation, and the information from certain areas where intense hostilities are taking place has been delayed. There are allegations of hundreds of civilian casualties in the towns of Volnovakha, Mariupol and Izium. However, these claims have yet to be verified.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine gathered the information for this report through interviews with victims and their relatives. According to the Ukrainian Parliament Commission for Human Rights, 61 children have been killed and 100 injured thus far.

Earlier this week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated her urgent demand for a peaceful end to the hostilities in Ukraine. She further said that over 12,700 people in Russia have been arbitrarily arrested for participating in peaceful anti-war protests.

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