As a result of hostilities from February to the end of July 2023, 1,028 civilians were killed in Ukraine

This was stated by the head of the UN Monitoring Mission on Human Rights in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, at the presentation of a new report on the situation with human rights in Ukraine, which covers the period from February 1 to July 31 of this year.

“Between February 1 and July 31, as a result of hostilities, at least 1,028 civilians were killed and 3,593 were injured. This means that an average of six people died and 20 were injured every day during this period,” said Danielle Bell.

The head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission noted that the largest number of victims — 90% — was caused by the use of weapons with a wide area of impact.

“And a significant number of civilians have been killed or injured by weapons such as rocket launchers, which should not be used in populated areas,” noted Danielle Bell.

Also, according to her, the large number of victims was caused by the use of cluster munitions.

— The use of cluster munitions in populated areas poses significant risks to the civilian population due to their indiscriminate and potentially disproportionate effects, as well as the high level of unexploded ordnance. Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured by rockets and munitions left far from the front line during waves of attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, Danielle Bell said.

The head of the UN Monitoring Mission also commented on the attacks carried out by the Russian Federation on the objects of critical infrastructure of Ukraine.

— The attacks carried out by the Russian Federation also caused the destruction of important critical infrastructure. In particular, since the beginning of July, at least 25 Russian attacks have damaged or destroyed the grain export infrastructure, Danielle Bell noted. During the presentation of a new report on the human rights situation in Ukraine, Danielle Bell reported on the brutal treatment of civilians in temporarily occupied territories and Ukrainian prisoners of war.

— Approximately 90 percent of the people we interviewed answered that they had been tortured and ill-treated while in custody.

In particular, they talked about brutal beatings that led to broken bones. We also know that in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian authorities introduce their own laws and carry out forced passporting of the local population. People who refuse to obtain a Russian passport have limited access to medicine and education and are subject to constant checks and detentions, said Danielle Bell.

The United Nations confirmed that from the beginning of the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation until July 8, 2023, 9,177 civilians were killed in Ukraine, and 15,993 were injured.