At least 441 civilians were killed by Russian forces in the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced, citing summary executions and attacks on dozens of towns in three provinces of the country.
The actual number of victims in the provinces of Kiev, Chernihiv and Sumy is likely to be much higher, the UNHCR pointed out in a report examining the Russian invasion from its start on February 24 until early April, when Russian forces withdrew from those areas.
"These actions were committed by the Russian armed forces controlling these areas and resulted in the deaths of 441 civilians (341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and 8 girls)," it noted.
Through the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), UNHCR collected data from 102 towns and villages.
During the war and up to 4 December, the UNHCR has recorded a total of 6,702 civilian deaths in Ukraine, and notes that it has recorded violations on both sides.
The new report was limited to the Russian-controlled areas in the early days of the war because of "numerous reports of civilian killings in these three provinces" and the UNHCR's ability to monitor and record deaths there after the withdrawal of Russian forces.
A UN commission concluded in October that Russian forces were responsible for the vast majority of human rights violations in the early days of the war.
[BR][BR]Many of the bodies recorded in the new report bear signs indicating that the victims may have been deliberately killed, the report stressed. At the end of October, the UNHCR was trying to confirm the killing of another 198 civilians in the three provinces.
In some towns more deaths were recorded, such as in Bucha, in Kiev province, which was under Russian control from 5 March to 30 March.
The UNHCR has said it has recorded the killing of 73 civilians there and has begun the process of confirming another 105.
The report cites 57 summary executions, 30 of which involved detainees, while another 27 victims were executed on the spot.
In another 43 cases, civilians were killed while moving on foot or in a vehicle within or between settlements.
"Most victims were targeted while moving to go to work, to deliver food to others, to visit neighbours or relatives, or while trying to escape from hostilities," the report said."
Source: APM
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