UN says 579 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russian invasion began

By AP 12 March 2022, 4:54 pm

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Smoke billows from burning containers after shelling in Vasylkiv, south west of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

GENEVA — The UN human rights office says at least 579 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and more than 1,000 have been injured.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says that 42 of those killed were children, while 54 were injured.

The Geneva-based office has documented 564 civilian deaths and 982 injured a day earlier.

It says most recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a “wide impact area,” such as shelling from heavy artillery and missile strikes.

UN officials say they believe the actual number of casualties is considerably higher than so far recorded because the receipt of information has been delayed and many reports still need to be corroborated.