Ukraine: civilian casualty update 14 August 2023

Date: 14 August 2023¹

Civilian casualties from 1 to 13 August 2023

From 1 to 13 August 2023, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 258 civilian casualties in Ukraine:

• 48 killed (23 men, 21 women, 1 boy, 1 girl, as well as 2 adults whose sex is not yet known), and
• 210 injured (97 men, 57 women, 6 boys, 1 girl, as well as 2 children and 47 adults whose sex is not yet known).

This included:

• 37 killed (18 men, 16 women, 1 boy, as well as 2 adults whose sex is not yet known) and 176 injured (76 men, 44 women, 6 boys, 1 girl, as well as 2 children and 47 adults whose sex is not yet known) in 55 settlements in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred (83 percent of the total), and
• 11 killed (5 men, 5 women and 1 girl) and 34 injured (21 men and 13 women) in 6 settlements in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred (17 percent of the total).

Per type of weapon/incident:

• Explosive weapons with wide area effects: 47 killed and 205 injured (98 per cent):
  • 207 casualties (36 killed and 171 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: 1 killed and 5 injured (2 per cent):
  • 6 casualties (1 killed and 5 injured) in territory controlled by the Government 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 13 August 2023, OHCHR recorded 26,384 civilian casualties in the country: 9,444 killed and 16,940 injured. This included:

• 21,308 casualties (7,339 killed and 13,969 injured) in territory controlled by the Government when casualties occurred:
  • In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 10,344 casualties (4,205 killed and 6,139 injured); and
  • In other regions[2]: 10,964 casualties (3,134 killed and 7,830 injured).
• 5,076 casualties (2,105 killed and 2,971 injured) in territory occupied by the Russian Federation when casualties occurred:
  • In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 3,457 casualties (771 killed and 2,686 injured); and
  • In other regions[3]: 1,619 casualties (1,334 killed and 285 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

Ukrainian and Russian language versions of this update as they become available, please visit this page.