Over 8,000 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russian invasion

Geneva, Feb 21 (EFE).- More than 8,000 civilians have been killed and 13,287 others wounded in Ukraine since Russia waged a war on its neighbor almost a year ago, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported on Tuesday.

“Our data are only the tip of the iceberg,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement.

Among the fatalities were at least 487 children, with 954 others injured, according to the OHCHR, which has been monitoring civilian casualties since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Women accounted for some 40% of the adult casualties whose sex was known, the report said, acknowledging that the real figure could be much higher since it was difficult to estimate the number of possible victims in areas hit hard by the conflict such as Mariupol, Lysychansk, Popasna and Severodonetsk.

DONETSK, KHARKIV, KYIV — THE WORST AFFECTED

Donetsk has registered the highest number of victims with 3,800 killed and 6,600 wounded, followed by Kharkiv with 924 dead and 2,000 wounded, and Kyiv with 955 dead and 312 wounded.

There were two people killed in an eastern Polish village near the border with Ukraine after a Ukrainian missile hit the region in November, while 30 others died and more than 100 suffered injuries in Russian areas bordering Ukraine.

In March 2022 alone, more than 3,900 people were killed and 2,900 others injured, but since then, the number has been reduced to around 200 a month between November and January.

Some 90% of the civilian casualties (at least 6,585 deaths and 12,635 injuries) were caused by explosive weapons that have wide-area effects, the report highlighted.

Eighty-four percent of these attacks took place in areas under the control of the Ukrainian government, while 15% were in Russian-held regions, the report showed.

WEAPONS THAT KILL AFTER CONFLICT

There was a sharp increase in civilian casualties (202 dead and 369 wounded) in 2022 due to anti-personnel mines and other explosive remnants of war.

“Efforts to establish accountability and justice for violations of international law must intensify and deepen,” Türk said.

“It is equally vital that victims are able to access reparations and the practical assistance they desperately need, without first having to wait for the outcomes of formal legal proceedings,” he added.

Türk also stressed that the conflict has left 18 million people in desperate need of humanitarian aid, while 14 million others have either been internally displaced or fled the country.

“The very young to the very old have all been affected. Students have seen their education halted or disrupted by attacks on educational facilities, while older people and people with disabilities have faced immense challenges,” said Türk .EFE

abc/smq/jt