The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported on 21 November that since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022, at least 10,000 civilians, including over 560 children, have been killed in Ukraine. Additionally, the UN has verified more than 18,500 cases of civilian injuries.
“Ten thousand civilian deaths is a grim milestone for Ukraine,” said Danielle Bell, head of the HRMMU, adding that “this Russian Federation war against Ukraine threatens to turn into a protracted conflict that could lead to loss of life of proportions unimaginable.”
The HRMMU cautioned that its numbers are likely an undercount, given the challenges of verifying information from active war zones.
Over the last three months, most civilian casualties occurred on territory controlled by Ukraine’s government, resulting mainly from shelling, air strikes, missiles, and other explosive weapons. Casualty data also indicates a disproportionate impact on elderly Ukrainians, many of whom either lack the opportunity or the willingness to relocate to safer areas.
Monitoring reveals many casualties away from the frontlines as well, mainly due to Russia’s strikes on populated areas across Ukraine. “Nearly half of civilian casualties over the last three months took place away from frontlines,” Bell stated. “It shows there are no completely safe places left in Ukraine at this time.”
Earlier, the International Commission on Missing Persons reported that the number of missing Ukrainian civilians has reached around 30,000 since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
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