UN says over 3,000 civilian deaths recorded in Ukraine, true number likely ‘considerably higher’

The United Nations said Tuesday that it has recorded the deaths of more than 3,000 Ukrainian civilians since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February, adding that the true figure is believed to be “considerably higher.”

The U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it has recorded 3,193 civilian deaths and another 3,353 injuries in Ukraine.

The number of deaths has jumped by more than 1,000 in less than a month, as the U.N. department reported the killings of almost 2,000 civilians in the conflict as of mid-April.

“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,” the U.N. stressed.

“This concerns, for example, Mariupol (Donetsk region), Izium (Kharkiv region), and Popasna (Luhansk region), where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.”

Ukrainian officials have indicated that a significantly higher number of civilians have been killed in the Russian invasion, which has lasted for more than two months. 

During that time, Russia has been accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine such as targeting civilians, rape and kidnapping. Russia has denied the war crimes allegations.

Images released of Ukraine have shown extensive destruction in residential areas and to civilian structures including hospitals, as well as dead bodies lying in streets and mass graves.

Ukrainian officials have worked to create humanitarian corridors to enable evacuations from areas such as the besieged port city of Mariupol amid the ongoing fighting. Ukraine on Sunday began evacuating civilians from a steel plant near Mariupol where a number were sheltering along with the last remaining Ukrainian fighters in the city.