7,031 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the conflict with Russia .
However , the real toll is considerably higher given the lack of confirmation of many reports and the inaccessibility of areas where intense fighting is underway. This was announced by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights , as reported by the Guardian: «Most of the victims were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide-ranging effects , including heavy artillery bombardments, multiple launch missile systems, missiles and air strikes'.
At least 6,536 civilians (93% of the total) were killed in government-controlled areas of Ukraine, compared to 495 fatalities recorded in Russian-controlled areas. According to Kiev, the number of civilians killed since the beginning of the conflict could be in the tens of thousands . Both countries deny targeting civilians .
(Unioneonline/vf)
