More than 5,800 civilians killed in Russian invasion of Ukraine: UN

Nearly 100 civilians have been killed in Ukraine so far this month, bringing the total civilian death count to nearly 6,000 since the war began, according to a new United Nations (U.N.) report on the war.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights released a new report Monday detailing 5,827 civilians killed and another 8,421 injured in the conflict between Feb. 24 and Sept. 11. 

This month alone, the U.N. mission recorded 96 Ukrainians killed and another 266 injured. 

The actual numbers are likely “considerably higher,” according to the report, as information is hard to come by and verify in conflict-wracked areas. 

Heavy artillery shelling, missiles, airstrikes and other “explosive weapons with wide area effects” were responsible for most of the civilian casualties, according to the report.

More than half a year into the war, Ukraine has regained momentum in recent days with a counteroffensive in the northeast that forced Russian retreat in a number of areas it had occupied.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday marked the 200th day of conflict in an address lauding troops and “all those who liberated, liberate and will liberate all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian president in a Telegram post Sunday jabbed at Russia after it attacked power stations and caused grid outages in what Zelensky called “deliberate and cynical missile strikes on civilian critical infrastructure,” according to translations.

“Do you still think that you can scare us, break us, make us make concessions?” Zelensky asked.

U.N. Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif in remarks Monday said “the suffering of the civilian population” in Ukraine continues.

“Globally, the war’s serious socio-economic consequences persist, including severe fuel shortages and threats to food security in some of the poorest countries,” she added.

Al-Nashif also called out Russia for “intimidation, restrictive measures and sanctions against people voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine,” including online restrictions and pressure on journalists.