U.N. Report: 549 Ukrainian civilians killed since invasion

According to the report, a majority of civilian casualties sustained by Ukrainian civilians were caused by explosive ordinances used in indirect fire, manned airstrikes, and missile attacks. With many of these reports coming out of areas that continue to fall under heavy attack, some of the information is believed to be slightly dated.

According to U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), “[We] believe that the actual figures are considerably higher, especially in government-controlled territory and especially in recent days”. The report goes on to point out that a number of their reports “are still pending corroboration”.

KYIV, UKRAINE – Feb. 25, 2022.

In contrast, U.S. officials believe that “between 5,000 and 6,000 Russian troops may have been killed in just the first two weeks of the invasion of Ukraine. Officials admit, however, that the number of Russian casualties is not easily estimated and that “the number could be closer to 3,500”.

The UN report on death toll almost immediately follows a Russian airstrike on a children’s hospital in Mariupol. Three people were killed in the attack, one of whom was a child. An unknown number of civilians were trapped under rubble and debris from the attack.

According to the World Health Organization, this marks the 18th Russian attack on Ukrainian medical facilities since Russia initiated their invasion. Ukrainian officials have officially condemned Russia and this latest attack as a war crime.