UN reports 4,621 civilian casualties, including 1,028 killed, in six months in Ukraine
The grim toll of war suffered by the men, women and children living in Ukraine is documented in the latest United Nations report on the country.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has based its findings on the work of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) and it covers a six-month period from the start of February to the end of July 2023.
The UN data only counts fully documented cases and its report states the actual toll may be far higher.
In that period there were 4,621 civilian casualties including 1,028 killed. The casualties included 1,883 men, 1,294 women, 139 boys and 94 girls.
The OHCHR reported that 64% of the civilians killed or injured by Russian shelling or Multiple Launch Rocket System attacks lived in communities on or near the frontline in Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv.
The UN also gathered testimony about the mistreatment and torture of Ukrainians detained by the Russian army during the period.
Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): said: "The testimonies of survivors describe a cruelty that is difficult to imagine, including terrifying accounts of electric shocks, sexual violence and severe beatings, which in some instances led to broken bones and smashed teeth. Countless detainees were also forced to praise the Russian Federation, learn and sing Russian songs, and suffered severe beatings for failing or for speaking Ukrainian. Appalling detention conditions, including food and medical shortages, poor living conditions, and sleep deprivation, persisted."
The United Nations is also concerned about the plight of Ukrainians in occupied areas, with the occupying forces insisting they take Russian passports or face persecution.
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