The UN Human Rights Observatory Mission, which has 55 observers in Ukraine, announced that most civilians died due to the use of explosive weapons with wide-ranging effects, such as missiles and air strikes.
Matilda Bogner, Head of the UN Mission, at a press conference in Geneva today, when asked about the total number of dead and injured, replied, “We are working on estimates, but for now, all I can say is that the number of dead and injured is more than thousands of times what we reported to you.”
Pointing to the port city of Mariupol in the southeast of Ukraine, where the heaviest fighting took place in the war, Bogner said, “The main black hole is Mariupol, which we have difficulty in gaining full access to and we cannot fully verify the data for.”
Matilda Bogner noted that her team is also investigating “credible accusations” that Ukrainian forces tortured, ill-treated and extrajudicially executed Russian occupying forces and armed groups affiliated with these forces.
“Although the extent of the crimes committed by the Russian forces is much greater than that of the Ukrainians, we are also documenting the violations of the Ukrainian forces,” said Bogner.
Moscow denies accusations that it targeted civilians during its invasion of Ukraine, which it launched on February 24, and claims the operation carried out a “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of anti-Russian nationalists incited by the West. Ukraine and Western countries, on the other hand, state that Russia’s claim is a false excuse to start a war without reason.