Civilian casualties in Ukraine up 85% in September

Record increase in casualties among the civilian population

The security situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. Kayako Goto, the Director for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, stated during a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York that the number of civilian casualties in September of this year rose by 85% compared to the same period last year. This surge is due to intensified Russian shelling of cities, villages and civilian infrastructure.

Preliminary data indicates that the casualty rate in October remained approximately the same as in September. “As the scale of such attacks continues to grow, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine is reaching record levels,” the UN representative emphasised.

Overall statistics since the start of the full-scale invasion

The UN has confirmed the deaths of at least 17,968 civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion. Among the dead are 874 children. At least 57,713 civilians have been injured, including 3,504 children. The organisation notes that the actual figures may be significantly higher.

In September alone, at least 328 civilian deaths and 2,105 injuries were recorded.

Specific cases of infrastructure destruction

Kayako Goto provided detailed information on recent attacks by Russian forces:

• 2 November: A strike on a school building in Komishuvate, Zaporizhzhia region. The premises were being used as a shelter and a humanitarian aid distribution point. According to available data, at least 55 people were killed and five were injured. The fate of 45 people who may be trapped under the rubble remains unknown.
• 3 November: An airstrike on a hospital complex in Kharkiv, which injured at least 73 people. In Dnipro, a Russian missile destroyed a hospice, from which dozens of patients and elderly people were evacuated.
• 29 October: A series of strikes on civilian objects in various regions. In Dnipro, a jet-powered drone hit a railway platform where many people were present: 15 civilians were killed and 14 were injured. In Chernihiv, a drone strike on a street in the city centre resulted in the deaths of two 15-year-old girls and injuries to 37 people, including five children.

Deaths resulting from the 29 October attacks were also reported in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Izium, Kharkiv region, and Kyiv.

Position of the UN Secretary-General

Kayako Goto emphasised that the UN Secretary-General firmly condemned Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.