Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left in its wake more than 8,000 civilians dead and 13,000 injured. More than 90% of the casualties were caused by explosive weapons with wide area effects, such as artillery shells and airstrikes, United Nations officials announced this week.
U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Tuesday deplored the staggering human cost of the war in Ukraine. His office has been monitoring civilian casualties there since 2014. He said the figures are likely “substantially higher” because they reflect only verified individual cases.
“These numbers … lay bare the loss and suffering inflicted on people since Russia’s armed attack began on 24 February last year, suffering I saw for myself firsthand when I visited Ukraine in December. And our data are only the tip of the iceberg,” Mr. Turk said.
The release of the civilian casualty numbers in Ukraine comes as President Vladimir Putin has defended Russia’s actions since the invasion a year ago. In a rambling two-hour speech to the nation Tuesday, Mr. Putin claimed the “special military operation” was undertaken to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine and because of NATO’s eastward expansion following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Civilians were killed in Ukraine while trying to meet their basic needs, like collecting water and buying food. U.N. officials said a 67-year-old woman named Olha was killed in a Russian missile strike the day after the war began while she was trying to buy milk. A man in his 60s, identified only as Serhii, told U.N. monitors that his 6-year-old granddaughter lost a leg in April in an artillery attack near his home in Kherson.
“Stories such as those of Olha and Serhii underscore the devastating price civilians on both sides of the frontline have paid and continue to pay,” Mr. Turk said.
Ukraine has faced regular electricity and water shortages during the winter. At least 14 million people have been displaced from their homes since the start of the war, with nearly 18 million in dire need of humanitarian assistance, U.N. officials said.
The war in Ukraine has affected the very young and the very old, Mr. Turk said. Students have seen their education disrupted by attacks on schools while older people and those with disabilities face a number of challenges, including simply reaching bomb shelters in time, U.N. officials said.
Most of those who remain in conflict-affected areas of Ukraine are older people, who are often reluctant or unable to leave dangerous areas, Mr. Turk said.
“Every day that violations of international human rights and humanitarian law continue, it becomes harder and harder to find a way forward through mounting suffering and destruction, toward peace,” he said, calling the war a “blatant affront” to the U.N. Charter and the whole body of international law.
“Its vast human toll must end now,” Mr. Turk said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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