The war began on 24 October 2022, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Organization in Ukraine (HRMMU) has confirmed that more than 9,000 civilians, including more than 500 children, have been killed since then. , although the real number may be higher.
“Today marks another tragic episode in a war that continues to take a terrible toll on Ukrainians,” said Noel Calhoun, the Mission’s deputy chief.
Recent deadly attacks
HRMMU reported that the average monthly casualties decreased at the beginning of this year when compared to 2022, but the average number rose again in May and June, with the last two weeks among some of the deadliest since the conflict began.
Recent attacks include a missile attack on a busy shopping district in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on the evening of 27 June, which killed 13 people.
Among the victims was award-winning author and human rights defender Viktoriia Amelina, who succumbed to her injuries earlier this week.
A few days after the attack, 10 civilians were killed in another attack with chemical weapons in Lviv, in western Ukraine.
Thousands of victims
Information about civilian deaths is included in the latest report on civilian casualties in Ukraine, published by the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, which covers the period from the start of the war until 30 June 2023.
In total, 25,170 civilian casualties were recorded, with 9,177 killed and 15,993 injured.
Of this number, and whose sex is known, 61 per cent are men and 39 per cent are women. Boys have more than 57 percent of victims among children whose sex is known, and girls 42.8 percent.
OHCHR also received information about 22 civilians injured in the Russian Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. They include five men and a woman who were killed, and 16 people who were injured – two children and 14 adults, whose sex is not known.
Updated power plant destruction
Meanwhile, experts sent by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine have not observed any visible indications of mines or explosives there, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on Wednesday.
Europe’s largest nuclear plant has been in Russian hands since the early days of the war, and both sides have accused the other of attacking the facility.
The IAEA has previously said it is aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been planted in and around the plant, which is on the frontline of the conflict.
“Following our requests, our experts have gained more access to the site. So far, they have not found any mines or explosives, but they still need more access, including to the roofs of reactor units 3 and 4 and parts of the turbine halls,” said Mr. Grossi, n expressed hope that access would be granted soon. .
The experts have inspected parts of the plant in recent days and weeks, and continue to make regular trips across the site.
On Wednesday, they were “again able to inspect a wider part of the area of the ZNPP’s large pond than before,” the IAEA said.
