The Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner said on December 7, 2022, that Russia has killed 441 civilians in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions of Ukraine in just the first six weeks of the war.
Source: The Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner
The UN report, prepared based on the results of the mission, details how Russian troops killed civilians in Ukrainian settlements in the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine from February 24 to April 6, 2022, are revealed.
For example, the mission documented the killing of 73 civilians (54 men, 16 women, 2 boys and 1 girl) in Bucha (the Kyiv region), which was under the control of Russian troops from March 5 to 30, and is currently receiving confirmation of the killing of another 105 people.
“The report states that the UN has, so far, documented the violent deaths of 441 civilians (341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and 8 girls) in the three regions in the initial 6 weeks of the Russian invasion alone. The report cautions that the actual figures are likely to be considerably higher as work is still ongoing to corroborate an additional 198 killings that occurred in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia in the initial stages of the ongoing armed attack against Ukraine,” emphasized the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
According to Matilda Bogner, “a mere text message, a piece of camouflage clothing, or a record of previous military service could have fatal consequences”[served as a pretext for executions of Ukrainian civilians – ed.].
“Civilians were targeted on roads while moving within or between settlements, including while attempting to flee the hostilities,” noted the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Men and boys made up 88% of all summary execution victims, suggesting that men were targeted disproportionately based on their gender.
“Russian soldiers brought civilians to makeshift places of detention and then executed them in captivity. Many of the victims’ bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds to their heads,” concluded Matilda Bogner.
See also: UN found evidence of numerous Russian war crimes in the liberated territories of Ukraine
