From 1 to 28 February 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 589 civilian casualties in Ukraine:
- 138 killed (69 men, 40 women, 1 girl, as well as 28 adults whose sex is not yet known); and
- 451 injured (155 men, 95 women, 11 boys, 9 girls, as well as 181 adults whose sex is not yet known).
This included:
- 116 killed and 402 injured in 112 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (88 percent of the total); and
- 22 killed and 49 injured in 9 settlements in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred (12 percent of the total).
Per type of weapon/incident:
- Explosive weapons with wide area effects: 129 killed and 424 injured (94 per cent);
- Mines and explosive remnants of war: 9 killed and 27 injured (6 per cent).
Total civilian casualties from 24 February 2022 to 5 March 2023
From 24 February 2022, which marked the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 5 March 2023, OHCHR recorded 21,793 civilian casualties in the country: 8,173 killed and 13,620 injured. This included:
- 17,481 casualties (6,322 killed and 11,159 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 8,986 casualties (3,735 killed and 5,251 injured); and
- In other regions2: 8,495 casualties (2,587 killed and 5,908 injured).
- 4,312 casualties (1,851 killed and 2,461 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 2,849 casualties (627 killed and 2,222 injured); and
- In other regions3: 1,463 casualties (1,224 killed and 239 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.
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.
