The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said 1,605 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 4,382 injured in the Russian war against Ukraine from 1 August 2022 – 31 January 2023, a new report reveals.
The vast majority of civilian casualties (1,459 persons killed and 4,112 injured) were caused by explosive weapons, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems, and missiles. In addition, 99 civilians were killed and 256 injured as a result of explosive remnants of war (ERW) and mine-related incidents.
The OHCHR also said it had documented enforced disappearances, cases of deportation, and torture against children.
“In September 2022, a 14-year-old boy and his adult uncle were abducted by Russian armed forces in Kherson Oblast for the uncle’s alleged involvement in filming military positions and transferring information to Ukrainian armed forces. They were handcuffed, blindfolded, and then placed in a hole dug in the ground on the property of a gas station, where they were beaten.
Two hours later, they were transferred to an unofficial place of detention in the city of Kherson. The boy was separated from his uncle and detained with adult male detainees in a shower room for several days. The 12 detainees were provided with inadequate food and potable water, being forced to share five liters of water and stale biscuits. He was interrogated twice, during which time he heard other victims being ill-treated. He was then transferred to an archive room. He and his uncle were released ten days later,” the UN told one of the stories of Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
