Real death toll in Ukraine ‘thousands higher’ than official figures, says UN

Most deaths occurred from use of explosive weapons ‘with a wide impact area such as missiles and air strikes’.

A man walks his dog past burnt out vehicles and debris following a missile attack on the Retroville shopping mall in Kyiv on March 21, 2022 | Representational image| Photographer: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images via Bloomberg

New Delhi: Thousands more have died in Ukraine than the war’s official toll of 3,381, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has 55 monitors in the country who found that most deaths occurred from the use of explosive weapons “with a wide impact area such as missiles and air strikes”, news agency Reuters reported.

The mission head Matilda Bogner told reporters in Geneva: “We have been working on estimates, but all I can say for now is that it is thousands higher than the numbers we have currently given to you.”

She said the ravaged city of Maruipol was the “big black hole” from which it was difficult to glean fully-corroborated information.

Bogner said her team was also investigating “credible allegations” of torture, ill-treatment and executions by Ukrainian forces against the invading Russians and affiliated armed groups.

She said: “In terms of the extent of violations by Ukrainian forces, while the scale is significantly higher on the side of allegations against Russian forces, we are also documenting violations by Ukrainian forces.”

The UN officially estimates that 3,680 Ukrainians have so far been injured in the 11-week conflict.