UN Reports Over 10,000 Civilian Deaths in Ukraine, Calls for End to Attacks

The United Nations (UN) painted a grim picture of the human cost of the war in Ukraine on Friday. UN officials confirmed at least 10,703 civilian deaths, including a horrific toll of 594 children.

“We condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure — they are prohibited under international law,” said Mohamed Khaled Khiar, UN assistant head for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific, at a Security Council meeting. He emphasized that these attacks are “unacceptable and must stop now.”

The UN also highlighted the plight of injured civilians, with reports of over 20,000 injuries, including 1,316 children. Lisa Doughten, Director of the Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilization Division for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stressed that attacks on civilians constitute a war crime.

Doughten further emphasized the critical need for unimpeded humanitarian access to affected areas. Currently, the UN faces “significant obstacles” in reaching people in need, particularly in Russian-occupied regions like Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia. The UN estimates that 1.5 million people in these regions require life-saving assistance.