More than 10,200 civilians have been killed in Russia's war against Ukraine – UN
Photo: Ukrinform
Over 10,200 Ukrainians have lost their lives, and more than 19,300 have been injured since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This information comes from a report by Edem Wosornu, the director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Rubryka reports.
The report highlights that since the end of December 2023, 125 people have been killed in Russian attacks, and over 550 have sustained injuries. Among the casualties during almost two years of war are 575 children.
A representative from the UN said that the recent wave of Russian attacks has further complicated humanitarian aid operations and hindered the work of humanitarian workers.
"International humanitarian law must be strictly respected at all times. International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks. This includes humanitarian personnel and assets. In addition, constant care must be taken, throughout military operations, to spare civilians and civilian objects," said the report.
In 2023, the UN conducted over 100 sessions in various formats to discuss the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
"We have heard numerous testimonies of the atrocities suffered by the Ukrainian civilian population. We consistently issued clear warnings, but there is a continued escalation and spread of the conflict beyond Ukraine and beyond. Here we stand at the threshold of the third year of the most serious armed conflict in Europe since World War II, with no end in sight," said Rosemary Di Carlo, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The UN representative also added that almost two-thirds of Ukrainian children have been forced to leave their homes since the beginning of the Russian invasion, with some of them being unaccompanied. An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of post-traumatic stress and other mental disorders.
According to the latest UN data, the number of refugees from Ukraine worldwide has reached 6.3 million, with 5.9 million residing in Europe. Surveys from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees indicate that nearly 80% of refugees hope to return to Ukraine.
