Ukraine: Civilian casualties from 1 to 16 July 2023

Civilian casualties from 1 to 16 July 2023

From 1 to 16 July 2023, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 416 civilian casualties in Ukraine:

• 74 killed (36 men, 32 women, as well as 6 adults whose sex is not yet known), and
• 342 injured (133 men, 115 women, 7 boys, 7 girls, as well as 6 children and 74 adults whose sex is not yet known).

This included:

• 63 killed (31 men, 26 women, as well as 6 adults whose sex is not yet known) and 305 injured (113 men, 99 women, 7 boys, 6 girls, as well as 6 children and 74 adults whose sex is not yet known) in 90 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (88 percent of the total), and
• 11 killed (6 women and 5 men) and 37 injured (20 men, 16 women, and 1 girl) in 11 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: 72 killed and 326 injured (96 per cent):
• 353 casualties (61 killed and 292 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred, and
• 45 casualties (11 killed and 34 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred.
• Mines and explosive remnants of war: 2 killed and 16 injured (4 per cent):
  • 15 casualties (2 killed and 13 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred, and
  • 3 injured in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred.

Civilian casualties from 1 to 30June 2023

From 1 to 30 June 2023, OHCHR recorded 865 civilian casualties in Ukraine:

• 184 killed (96 men, 61 women, 7 girls, 5 boys, as well as 15 adults whose sex is not yet known), and
• 681 injured (238 men, 191 women, 26 boys, 19 girls, as well as 207 adults whose sex is not yet known).

This included:

• 158 killed (83 men, 50 women, 6 girls, 4 boys, as well as 15 adults whose sex is not yet known) and 582 injured (203 men, 138 women, 24 boys, 16 girls, as well as 201 adults whose sex is not yet known) in 143 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (86 percent of the total), and
• 26 killed (13 men, 11 women, 1 boy and 1 girl) and 99 injured (35 men, 53 women, 3 girls, 2 boys, and 6 adults whose sex is not yet known) in 24 settlements in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred (14 percent of the total).

Per type of weapon/incident:

• Explosive weapons with wide area effects: 176 killed and 651 injured (96 per cent):
• 710 casualties (152 killed and 558 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred, and
• 117 casualties (24 killed and 93 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred.
• Mines and explosive remnants of war: 8 killed and 30 injured (4 per cent):
  • 30 casualties (6 killed and 24 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred, and
  • 8 casualties (2 killed and 6 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred.

Total civilian casualties

From 24 February 2022, which marked the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 16 July 2023, OHCHR recorded 25,671 civilian casualties in the country: 9,287 killed and 16,384 injured. This included:

• 20,712 casualties (7,212 killed and 13,500 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred:
• In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 10,159 casualties (4,156 killed and 6,003 injured); and
• In other regions^[1]: 10,553 casualties (3,056 killed and 7,497 injured).
• 4,959 casualties (2,075 killed and 2,884 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred:
• In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 3,361 casualties (752 killed and 2,609 injured); and
• In other regions^[2]: 1,598 casualties (1,323 killed and 275 injured).

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.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

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 and numbers 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.

ENDS