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U.N. Says Over 17,000 Civilians Have Been Killed Since Russia Invaded Ukraine

HeadlineDec 08, 2022

Ukraine’s government says Russian artillery fire killed 10 people and wounded many others Wednesday in the eastern Donetsk region. The killings came as Ukraine’s electrical grid operator announced new emergency power cuts to try to repair infrastructure damaged by Russia. This week, the United Nations reported more than 17,000 civilians have been killed since Russia’s invasion, including 419 children. Matilda Bogner, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, released a report Wednesday documenting summary executions of civilians by Russian troops in northern Ukraine during the first six weeks of the war.

Matilda Bogner: “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. Some victims were summarily executed on the spot. Civilians were targeted on roads while moving within or between settlements, including while attempting to flee the hostilities.”

The U.N. report also documented torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and sexual violence committed by Russian forces. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Wednesday that Russian forces may be fighting in Ukraine for a long time to come. His comments came as Ukraine’s military claimed more than 93,000 Russian troops have been killed since the invasion in February. 

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