UN says Russia’s intensified attacks on Ukraine in December have led to sharp rise in civilian casualties

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s intensified missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks have led to a sharp increase in civilian casualties in December, killing more than 100 people, the United Nations said in a new report Tuesday. Killed and about 500 injured.

The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine said civilian casualties increased by 26.5% last month – from 468 in November to 592 in December. It said with some reports still pending verification, the rise is likely to be higher.

Danielle Bell, who heads the United Nations monitoring mission. Said: “Civilian casualties continued to decline in 2023 but Wave of attacks I That trend was violently interrupted in late December and early January.

The UN mission said it was confirming reports of recent intensified Russian missile and drone strikes hitting populated areas Ukraine on 29 December and continuing into early January, 86 civilians were killed and 416 others were injured.

“These attacks cause death and destruction to Ukrainian citizens, who have suffered enormous losses from Russia’s full-scale aggression for nearly two years,” Bell said.

The UN monitoring mission said the highest number of deaths occurred during the attacks on December 29. 2 january Amidst the falling temperatures of winter. It said that on January 4, Russian missiles struck the small town of Pokrovsk and the nearby village of Rivne, leaving two families – six adults and five children – buried under the debris of their homes. It said some bodies have still not been found.

In another attack on January 6, a blast wave from a Russian missile attack in Novomoskovsk injured 31 civilians, including eight passengers on a minibus that was destroyed during a morning commute, the United Nations said.

The number of confirmed civilians killed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 exceeds 10,200, including 575 children, and the number of injured exceeds 19,300, according to the Director of Operations of the UN Humanitarian Office , Adem Vosornu told the UN Security Council. Wednesday.

Neither Moscow nor Kiev provide timely data on military losses, and each is eager to inflate the other side’s casualties. almost two years of war The conflict continues with no sign of peace talks to end it.

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