From 24 February 2022, which marked the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 19 March 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 22,209 civilian casualties in the country: 8,317 killed and 13,892 injured. This included:
- 17,820 casualties (6,446 killed and 11,374 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 9,182 casualties (3,822 killed and 5,360 injured); and
- In other regions : 8,638 casualties (2,624 killed and 6,014 injured).
- 4,389 casualties (1,871 killed and 2,518 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 2,910 casualties (636 killed and 2,274 injured); and
- In other regions : 1,479 casualties (1,235 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 19 March 2023(individual cases verified by OHCHR)
From 1 to 19 March 2023, OHCHR recorded 469 civilian casualties in Ukraine:
- 113 killed (60 men, 34 women, 4 boys, 1 girl, as well as 14 adults whose sex is not yet known); and
- 356 injured (149 men, 75 women, 17 boys, 1 girl, as well as 114 adults whose sex is not yet known).
This included:
- 95 killed and 298 injured in 101 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (84 percent of the total); and
- 18 killed and 58 injured in 16 settlements in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred (16 percent of the total).
Per type of weapon/incident:
- Explosive weapons with wide area effects: 100 killed and 311 injured (88 per cent);
- Mines and explosive remnants of war: 13 killed and 45 injured (12 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.
