UN reports on number of civilian casualties amid war in Ukraine
The UN has reported on the number of civilian casualties during the war in Ukraine (Photo: Getty Images)
The confirmed number of civilians killed in Ukraine since February 2022 has exceeded 10,200, including 575 children, with the number of wounded surpassing 19,300 individuals, according to the page of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
"Since 29 December, we have witnessed yet another intensification in the conflict, with aerial attacks across Ukraine causing more civilian deaths and injuries, and widespread damage and destruction to homes, schools, hospitals, energy and other critical civilian infrastructure," the statement reads.
Edem Wosornu, OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy, on behalf of Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has added that the strikes are causing severe harm to the civilian population near the front lines in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions. Communities in the western part of Ukraine and Kyiv have also been affected.
Exact number of casualties is unknown
Since December 29, the UN Human Rights Office has recorded the death of 125 civilians and injuries to over 550 civilians across Ukraine.
"This brings the confirmed number of civilians killed since February 2022 to more than 10,200 – including 575 children – and those injured to over 19,300," the UN added.
It is important to note that the exact number of civilian casualties from Russian shelling and other war crimes is unknown. Russia does not allow the UN access to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Russian war crimes in Ukraine
In December, video footage emerged showing Ukrainian prisoners of war being used as human shields on the front lines in the Zaporizhia region. The media circulated images of Russians leading unarmed Ukrainian soldiers at gunpoint toward Ukrainian positions and using them as cover.
Additionally, on March 6, a video published by Russian occupiers shocked the world. The invaders filmed the execution of a captured Ukrainian serviceman after his utterance of "Glory to Ukraine."
Ukraine provided the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations with a verified video recording documenting the use of Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields on the front lines. However, international institutions ignored the information.
