Confirmed civilian deaths in Ukraine approach 8,500, says UN

Geneva: A UN body on Tuesday said that as many as 8,500 civilians haven been confirmed killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with many thousands more unverified deaths still feared. Ever since the invasion started on 24 February 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it recorded 8,490 people killed and 14,244 injured as of 9 April, 2023. The body has long described its figures as “the tip of the iceberg” because of its limited access to battle zones. The majority of the fatalities were reported in areas that the Ukrainian government controls and that Russian forces are attempting to occupy, including 3,927 persons in the tensely fought-over provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. “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,” Reuters quoted the UN body as saying in a statement. Russian forces have pressed their offensive in the eastern Donetsk region where several cities and towns have under heavy bombardment. A UN-mandated investigative body found last month that Russian forces had carried out “indiscriminate and disproportionate” attacks on Ukraine. Russia denies targeting civilians or committing atrocities. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.