- 17,296 casualties (6,257 killed and 11,039 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 8,916 casualties (3,714 killed and 5,202 injured); and
- In other regions2: 8,380 casualties (2,543 killed and 5,837 injured).
- 4,284 casualties (1,844 killed and 2,440 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred:
- In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 2,824 casualties (622 killed and 2,202 injured); and
- In other regions3: 1,460 casualties (1,222 killed and 238 injured).
Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes.
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. This concerns, for example, Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna, and Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk region), where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.
Civilian casualties from 1 to 26 February 2023(individual cases verified by OHCHR)
From 1 to 26 February 2023, OHCHR recorded 525 civilian casualties:
- 123 killed (59 men, 38 women, as well as 26 adults whose sex is not yet known); and
- 402 injured (134 men, 85 women, 11 boys, 8 girls, as well as 164 adults whose sex is not yet known).
This included:
- 102 killed and 362 injured in 102 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (88 percent of the total); and
- 21 killed and 40 injured in 9 settlements in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred (12 percent of the total).
Per type of weapon/incident:
- Explosive weapons with wide area effects: 115 killed and 377 injured (94 per cent);
- Mines and explosive remnants of war: 8 killed and 25 injured (6 per cent).
Since 2014, OHCHR has been documenting civilian casualties in Ukraine. Reports are based on information that the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) collected through interviews with victims and their relatives; witnesses; analysis of corroborating material confidentially shared with HRMMU; official records; open-source documents, photo and video materials; forensic records and reports; criminal investigation materials; court documents; reports by international and national non-governmental organisations; public reports by law enforcement and military actors; data from medical facilities and local authorities. All sources and information are assessed for their relevance and credibility and cross-checked against other information. In some instances, corroboration may take time. This may mean that conclusions on civilian casualties may be revised as more information becomes available andnumbers may change as new information emerges over time. Statistics presented in the current update are based on individual civilian casualty records where the “reasonable grounds to believe” standard of proof was met, namely where, based on a body of verified information, an ordinarily prudent observer would have reasonable grounds to believe that the casualty took place as described.
