UPDATED: U.N. says 564 civilians killed so far in Ukraine, Suffered $119 billion in losses because of war
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The U.N. human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday it has confirmed the deaths of 564 civilians in Ukraine since Feb. 24, including 41 children.
The real toll is thought to be considerably higher since it has not yet been able to corroborate reports from areas where intense hostilities are ongoing, OHCHR said. Most died from the use of explosive weapons, including heavy artillery shelling, missile and air strikes, it added.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused $119 billion in damages to Ukraine’s economy, deputy economy minister Denys Kudin said on Friday.
He said 75% of enterprises in war-hit areas had stopped operating and most metallurgical enterprises in eastern Ukraine were not working.
“This means we will have fewer exports of metals,” he said, adding that metals exports accounted for a “significant share” of Ukraine’s overall exports.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv is under relentless bombardment from Russian forces, the city’s mayor said in a televised interview on Friday.
“As of today, 48 (of the city’s) schools have been destroyed,” said Mayor Ihor Terekhov. The city has a peacetime population of about 1.4 million
The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Friday Russia had launched 328 cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities, towns and villages since the start of its invasion on Feb. 24.
“This bloody crime of (Russian president) Putin’s regime is a blatant violation of the international humanitarian law,” General Valeriy Zaluzhny said in an online post.
Russia has denied targeting civilians during what it calls its “special operation” in Ukraine.
