UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that Russia had "highly failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians and objects in Ukraine" from the effects of its strikes. This was reported by Radio Liberty.
Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk stressed that his office's monitoring had pointed to gross violations of international law and war crimes, primarily by the forces of the Russian Federation.
"Among them are 142 cases of executions of civilians since February 2022 on the territory controlled by the Russian armed forces or occupied by Russia. In the occupied territory, we have documented widespread torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including sexual violence, as well as a large number of enforced disappearances," Türk said.
He also said that as of 4 December, his office had recorded and confirmed more than 10,000 civilian deaths as a result of the conflict since February 2022, including over 560 children. Another 18,500 civilians have been confirmed to have been injured, many of them seriously.
"The true toll is likely much higher," Türk said.
He also added that from 1 August to 30 November this year, his mission documented 2,440 civilians killed and injured "by long-range explosive weapons such as artillery shells and rockets; cluster munitions; and rockets, as well as so-called barrage munitions".
The majority of these civilians were killed in areas of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya Regions close to the frontline. Among them were a disproportionate number of elderly people who were unwilling or unable to move to a safer place.
Significant casualties have been documented as a result of Russia's missile attacks on targets in densely populated residential areas, often far from the front line. The UN cited last week's missile attacks on Kyiv as one example, which injured more than 50 people and damaged several residential buildings.
Türk also spoke upon the issue of detentions of Ukrainians by the occupiers.
"In the territories occupied by the Russian Federation, including Crimea, we have documented cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of local officials, journalists, civil society activists and other civilians. Among them are numerous Crimean Tatar activists," Türk said.
According to him, Russia did not allow his mission to access any of its places of detention in these territories.
Türk's office also does not have access to Ukrainian prisoners of war interned by Russia in the occupied territories.
What other Russian atrocities have been recorded recently
- Radio Liberty received a video from the military showing Russian soldiers attacking Ukrainian positions. In it, the occupiers lead captured Ukrainian soldiers at gunpoint towards Ukrainian positions, hiding behind them
- DeepState analytical group published a video of the alleged shooting of two Ukrainian prisoners by Russians near Avdiyivka, near Stepove.
- Earlier this year, Russians shot an unarmed prisoner, Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, after he said "Glory to Ukraine!".