According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), there have been more than 17,800 civilian casualties in the course of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
As of December 26, a total of 17,831 civilian casualties have been reported to the organization since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 of this year.
Of those, 6,884 civilians have been killed, including 2,719 men, 1,832 women, and 1,904 adults whose identities have yet to be confirmed. Another 429 children have also been killed since the war began.
OHCHR said a further 10,947 people were injured, including at least 2,364 men, 1,709 women and 800 children. The agency said it has yet to identify the sex of more than 6,000 other adult civilians who also suffered injuries during the war.
Between December 1 and 26 alone, the OHCHR said it recorded 165 civilian deaths and 516 injuries.
Most of the casualties recorded in the course of the war have been attributed to the “use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects, including heavy artillery shelling, multiple rocket launch systems, missiles, and air strikes,” according to the OHCHR.
The UN agency said the actual number of civilian casualties is likely to be “considerably higher” as casualty reports are likely to lag in some areas as fighting continues.
Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country during the course of the war. Many sought refuge in nearby European countries as the war continued.
The latest data on Ukrainian refugees compiled by the UN and last updated on December 27 shows a total of 7,896,825 million Ukrainian refugees registered in Europe during the course of the war, with more than 4.8 million seeking temporary protection status. .
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