UN rights office reports 8,766 civilian casualties in Ukraine since armed attack started News
© WikiMedia (OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine)
UN rights office reports 8,766 civilian casualties in Ukraine since armed attack started

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Friday reported 8,766 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country on February 24. The figure includes 4,031 killed and 4,735 injured. 

In the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, there had been 4,947 casualties: 4,277 on government-controlled territory, and 670 on territory controlled by Russian-affiliated armed groups.

OHCHR has been monitoring the conflict in Ukraine, and has been providing civilian casualty updates in the country since 2014. It reports statistics gathered by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine through interviews, official records, photo and video materials, court documents, medical data and other sources. All sources are assessed for their relevance and credibility.

The civilian casualties in Ukraine recorded by OHCHR were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and missiles and airstrikes. OHCHR states that the actual figures are considerably higher, as it has been difficult for human rights monitors to obtain information from areas of ongoing hostilities in time and many reports are still in need of corroboration. The office also cited areas of concern, including Mariupol (Donetsk region), Izium (Kharkiv region) and Popasna (Luhansk region).

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