The horrors of the Russia-Ukraine war are still being reported from the countries, with more and more civilians suffering the consequences of the Russian military invasion. Now, the United Nations has released a chilling report on civilian casualties in Ukraine.
The U.N. human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday that more than 5,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, adding that the real toll was likely much higher.
OHCHR, which has dozens of human rights monitors in the country, said in its weekly update that 5,024 people had been killed and 6,520 injured.
Many shocking tales have emerged from Ukraine about how civilians are suffering after the Russian military has captured most of its towns. Constant shelling and military attacks through high-functioning weapons have left entire towns and localities destroyed in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
The most significant instances of brutality and mass deaths were reported from the town of Bucha, which is near the capital city of Kyiv.
Media reports said that many bodies were seen lying on the streets of Bucha in civilian clothing. The mayor had further said that all the people were killed by getting shot in the back of their heads. All the victims were adult men and women, but a 14-year-old boy was also seen among the dead.
The mayor further said that many of the bodies were marked with white bandages, to show that they were unarmed. He added that the town still had cars on the streets with entire families killed inside, including men, women, children, and grandmothers.
Similar accounts were heard from the city of Mariupol, which was left almost completely destroyed after the Russian invasion. Reports said that streets were left littered with dead bodies, and over 200 bodies were discovered in the basement of a house.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, when the country’s military cross the borders and launched a series of attacks on Kyiv. The war is still going on, with many western countries showing their support for Ukraine.
(With Reuters inputs)
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