Over 17,000 civilians killed in Ukraine since February — UN
The World Health Organization reports at least 715 attacks on health care in the country, including 630 that impacted health facilities and 61 that affected personnel
UNITED NATIONS, November 7. /TASS/. The number of civilians, killed in Ukraine since February, has exceeded 17,000, including over 400 children, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
"According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as of the first of December, 17,023 civilians have been killed since 24 February 2022, including 419 children. However, we know that the real toll is far greater," he said.
"The World Health Organization reports at least 715 attacks on health care in the country, including 630 that impacted health facilities and 61 that affected personnel," the UN official continued. "These attacks in Ukraine represent more than 70 per cent of all attacks on healthcare infrastructure reported worldwide this year."
In his words, over 14 million people remain forcibly displaced from their homes in Ukraine, including 6.5 million internally displaced, and over 7.8 million refugees recorded across Europe.
The current cold season presents a particular threat to the civilian population, Griffiths continued.
The situation along the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military back then, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.
On February 21, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.
Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.