Civilian casualties from 24 February 2022, after Russia launched a war against Ukraine, to 26 February 2023 were 2,580 civilians (21,293 as of 15 February), including 8,101 dead (8,066), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Monday.
“OHCHR believes that the real number of civilian deaths or injuries is significantly higher, as many reports from places where such cases have occurred still require further confirmation, while information from some places where fighting is ongoing is delayed,” the document said of the UN data.
This is the case, for example, in such locations as Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna, and Severodonetsk (Luhansk region), where numerous civilian deaths or injuries have been reported.
According to confirmed UN data, 3,584 men, 2,127 women, 256 boys and 201 girls were killed, while the gender of 31 children and 1,902 adults could not yet be determined.
Among the 4,479 wounded, 398 boys and 293 girls, as well as 271 children whose sex could not yet be determined.
Compared to February 15, one child was killed and eight children were injured.
Whereas previously the UNHCHR’s casualty report was issued daily, and then only on weekdays, it became a weekly report in July. This report, like the previous one, provides data by month.
According to them, the number of deaths in February dropped to 123 from 198 in January and 205 in December.
March remains the deadliest month for civilians, according to the UN, with at least 3,943 deaths. In April, according to an OHCHR publication, civilian deaths due to the war dropped to 758, in May to 509, in June to 422 and in July to 378. There were 358 deaths in the first five days of the war from Feb. 24-28, 332 in August, 386 in September, 305 in October and 184 in November.
The number of wounded in February – 402 – was the lowest since the beginning of the war: in January there were 539, in December – 617, in November – 541, in the first five days of war in February last year – 464. In October the number of wounded dropped to 795 from 976 in September, when it was higher than in August – 917. Before that the number of wounded exceeded a thousand each month: July – 1126, June – 1104, May – 1136, April – 1888, March – 2974.
According to the report, in February this year, 115 people were killed by large-area explosive weapons and another 377 were wounded, while mines and explosive remnants of war killed eight people and wounded 25 (6% of total casualties).
Government-controlled territories accounted for 88 percent of the casualties in February, according to the UN.
The summary traditionally states that the increase in numbers to the previous summary should not be attributed solely to cases after February 15, as the Office verified some cases from previous days during that period.
