From 24 February 2022, which marked the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 26 March 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 22,424 civilian casualties in the country: 8,401 killed and 14,023 injured. This included:
- 18,012 casualties (6,520 killed and 11,492 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 9,254 casualties (3,869 killed and 5,385 injured); and
- In other regions : 8,758 casualties (2,651 killed and 6,107 injured).
- 4,412 casualties (1,881 killed and 2,531 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 2,926 casualties (639 killed and 2,287 injured); and
- In other regions : 1,486 casualties (1,242 killed and 244 injured).
OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration. This concerns, for example, Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna, and Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk region), where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.
Civilian casualties from 1 to 26 March 2023(individual cases verified by OHCHR)
From 1 to 26 March 2023, OHCHR recorded 644 civilian casualties in Ukraine:
- 159 killed (87 men, 49 women, 5 boys, 1 girl, as well as 17 adults whose sex is not yet known); and
- 485 injured (220 men, 101 women, 20 boys, 1 girl, as well as 2 children and 141 adults whose sex is not yet known).
This included:
- 138 killed and 414 injured in 125 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (86 percent of the total); and
- 21 killed and 71 injured in 19 settlements in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred (14 percent of the total).
Per type of weapon/incident:
- Explosive weapons with wide area effects: 137 killed and 417 injured (86 per cent);
- Mines and explosive remnants of war: 22 killed and 68 injured (14 per cent).
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
Since 2014, OHCHR has been documenting civilian casualties in Ukraine. Reports are based on information that the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) collected through interviews with victims and their relatives; witnesses; analysis of corroborating material confidentially shared with HRMMU; official records; open-source documents, photo and video materials; forensic records and reports; criminal investigation materials; court documents; reports by international and national non-governmental organisations; public reports by law enforcement and military actors; data from medical facilities and local authorities. All sources and information are assessed for their relevance and credibility and cross-checked against other information. In some instances, corroboration may take time. This may mean that conclusions on civilian casualties may be revised as more information becomes available andnumbers may change as new information emerges over time. Statistics presented in the current update are based on individual civilian casualty records where the “reasonable grounds to believe” standard of proof was met, namely where, based on a body of verified information, an ordinarily prudent observer would have reasonable grounds to believe that the casualty took place as described.
