According to a new report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), more than 30,000 civilians have been killed in the first three months of 2025 as a result of hostilities in Ukraine. This represents a 40% increase compared to the same period last year.

The report states that the majority of casualties were recorded in eastern and southern regions, particularly in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts. According to OHCHR, 70% of deaths resulted from attacks carried out by Russian forces.

The Ukrainian government confirmed these figures, calling them “genocidal policy of the Russian regime.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that “Russia continues to target civilians, which is a blatant violation of international law.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the situation as “horrifying” and called on all parties to protect civilians. He also emphasized that “the intensification of hostilities has severe consequences for the civilian population.”

The Russian government rejected the UN report’s figures, calling them “unfounded” and “propaganda of the Ukrainian regime.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that “Ukrainian authorities deliberately inflate the number of civilian casualties.”

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representative in Ukraine Jessica Moussan said that “the number of civilian casualties is extremely high and unacceptable.” She also noted that “the need for humanitarian aid has sharply increased.”

Experts believe the rise in casualties in 2025 is linked to the intensification of hostilities and the use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas. The total number of civilian deaths in the Ukraine conflict since February 2022 has exceeded 100,000.

Source: uznews.uz