441 Ukrainian civilians were executed by Russian troops in the first weeks of the invasion, according to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This figure is only part of the crimes that are attributed to Russian forces in the areas they have occupied.
This report by the United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine is limited to three regions in the north of the country: kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. They were under Russian control until early April. The document therefore does not include later liberated regions such as the Kharkiv regions or Kherson.
Investigators gathered evidence in 102 localities, but the report points out that the total human toll in these areas is likely much higher. The vast majority of victims are men, but there are also women and children. ” The acts in question were committed by Russian armed forces which controlled these areas and they led to the death of 441 civilians (341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and eight girls) “, Details the document.
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Observations of a significant number of bodies indicate that these civilians were summarily executed in custody or killed while traveling on foot, by bicycle or by car. Of 100 deaths fully investigated, 57 are classified as summary executions, 30 of which involve people in custody at the time of their death, the report details.
Visiting Ukraine, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk specified that his office continued “ each day » to receive information on war crimes, summary executions, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention or sexual violence.
Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting the civilian population since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.