Russia-Ukraine war live: 7,000 civilians confirmed killed, but actual toll ‘considerably higher’, says UN | Ukraine
[ad_1]
7,000 civilians confirmed killed, but actual toll ‘considerably higher’, says UN
More than 7,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour last February, the Office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) said on Monday.
“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and airstrikes,” an OHCHR statement said.
The UN rights office said it had confirmed 7,031 civilian deaths but believes actual casualty tolls are “considerably higher” given the pending corroboration of many reports and the inaccessibility of areas where intense fighting is taking place.
Most of the recorded civilian deaths occurred in government-held areas of Ukraine – 6,536 compared with 495 recorded in Russian-held areas. OHCHR did not attribute responsibility for the deaths.
Ukraine says the numbers of civilians killed could run into the tens of thousands. Both countries deny targeting civilians.
Key events
At Davos, Finland’s foreign minister has said he was hopeful a decision would be made to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine and his country was ready to participate in deliveries.
“We are currently in intensive discussions on what more we can do as the European Union, Nordic countries to help Ukraine,” Pekka Haavisto said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Reuters reports. “The discussion is ongoing about the Leopard tanks. I hope this decision will be made real and Finland definitely is ready to play its part in that support.”
Germany’s allies have ramped up the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to allow the supply of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine ahead of a crunch defence ministers meeting on Friday.
Germany’s defence minister Christine Lambrecht quits yesterday after a series of blunders, with he critics saying she was not up to job of getting German army into shape against backdrop of Ukraine war. A replacement is expected to be rapidly appointed by Scholz, with Boris Pistorius, interior minister of Lower Saxony, being touted as a likely candidate in the media.
Nato surveillance planes are due to arrive in Romania today to bolster the military alliance’s eastern flank and help monitor Russian military activity, Reuters reports.
Nato announced last week it would deploy the Airborne Warning and Control System (Awacs) surveillance planes to Bucharest, where they will start reconnaissance flights solely over Nato territory.
The aircraft deploying to Romania belong to a fleet of 14 Nato surveillance aircraft usually based in Germany. Around 180 military personnel will be deployed in support of the planes.
The self-styled leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, has claimed that the city of Marinka, west of Donetsk, is on the brink of falling to pro-Russian forces, according to a report from Tass. The Russian state-owned agency writes:
All high-rise buildings in the city of Marinka, west of Donetsk, have already been cleared and controlled by Russian forces, and there is reason to believe that this settlement will be liberated from Ukrainian troops as soon as possible.
It goes on to quote Pushilin saying “We see the work of our servicemen, who are clearing the territory metre by metre. We expect that in the very near future Maryinka will completely come under the control of the DPR.”
Donetsk is one of the regions that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex, despite not being in full control of the territory. The self-proclaimed DPR, which was formed in 2014, is chiefly internationally unrecognised. Before the annexation announcement in September 2022, Russia, Syria and North Korea were the only UN member state to accept it as any kind of legitimate authority.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych offers resignation over Dnipro comments
The Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has tendered his resignation after a public outcry over comments he made suggesting a Russian missile that killed at least 41 people in the city of Dnipro had been shot down by Ukraine.
Reuters reports Arestovych announced his resignation on Facebook after publicly apologising and rowing back on his comments in a post on the Telegram messaging app. The Ukrainian air force says the apartment complex was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which Kyiv does not have the equipment to shoot down.
“I offer my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives, the residents of Dnipro and everyone who was deeply hurt by my prematurely erroneous version of the reason for the Russian missile striking a residential building,” he wrote.
On Telegram he added: “Wrote a letter of resignation. I want to show an example of civilised behaviour. A fundamental mistake, then resign.”
The Kyiv city authority has given some details of the mayor Vitali Klitschko’s visit to Davos. It says:
He met in Davos with the vice-chancellor and minister of economy of Germany Robert Habeck. They talked about further support and assistance. In particular, the transfer of weapons. Positive decisions have been made. Good news coming soon!
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has posted a message to Telegram featuring images of the war, including of the apartment block struck in Dnipro at the weekend, alongside the following words in English:
Now we need even greater cohesion throughout the free world. And this is the only way to end full-scale aggression and total terror. The energy of the struggling world must not weaken.
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, has reported that six regions are experiencing power cuts.
It posted to its Telegram channel:
There is a significant power deficit in the power system, especially in the morning and evening hours, Ukrenergo reported. Currently, due to exceeding the limits, emergency shutdowns have already been applied in six regions of Ukraine.
At Davos, North Macedonia’s president has described the western Balkans as a soft spot in Europe’s security architecture and ripe for potential influence campaigns by Russia, Reuters reports.
“The soft spot in Europe’s architecture and danger from the Kremlin is the Western Balkans,” Stevo Pendarovski told an event at the World Economic Forum, adding that he believed the US should pay more attention to the situation in the region.
Body of child found in Dnipro rubble, raising total death toll to 41
Rescue workers have this morning found the body of a child in the rubble of the high-rise residential building struck by Russia at the weekend, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the office of president of Ukraine, posted an update to Telegram to say:
At 09.46am, the body of one dead child was found from under the rubble of a destroyed residential building on the 4th floor. A total of 41 people died (including four children), 79 people were injured (including 16 children), and 39 people were rescued (including six children).
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in Ukraine, despite the evidence of the mounting death toll among the population, which the UN puts at more than 7,000. [See 5.40 GMT]
Maksym Kozytskyi, the governor of Lviv region in western Ukraine, has posted to Telegram to warn residents that the state energy company, Ukrenergo, has set a lower consumption target for the region than yesterday, and that “there is a greater probability of power outages”.
Ukraine’s emergency services say 25 people still missing after Dnipro attack
Ukraine’s emergency services have said 25 people remain missing after the weekend’s missile attack on a residential block in Dnipro, which killed at least 40 people including three children.
In a message posted to its official Telegram channel, the service said:
Dnipro: As of 8am on 17 January, 39 people were rescued, including six children. 40 people died, including three children. 79 people were injured, including 16 children.
We received 47 reports of missing persons, of which 18 persons were found dead, four persons were found alive with relatives, in hospitals, 25 persons are currently wanted.
Psychologists of the State Emergency Service provided assistance to 176 victims. Search and rescue operations and dismantling of dangerous structural elements are ongoing. Communal services removed more than 9,000 tons of construction debris and 41 damaged cars. A total of 415 people … were involved in the works.
The UK Ministry of Defence has cast doubt on the accuracy of some of Russia’s long-range missile systems in its daily intelligence briefing. The ministry says:
The ministry went on to claim that “dysfunction of Russia’s long-range strike capability is more profound” and that “[Russia] highly likely struggles to dynamically identify targets, and to access rapid and accurate battle damage assessment”.
The Russian embassy in Australia has responded to the ban on Russian flags at the Australian Open, saying, calling it “another example of unacceptable politicisation of sports”:
Mike Hytner
Tennis fans have been spotted hoisting a Russian flag at the Australian Open despite a ban introduced by Tennis Australia earlier on Tuesday in response to strong criticism from the Ukrainian ambassador.
As in many other sports, Russian and Belarusian tennis players are competing under a neutral banner at this year’s tournament due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Fans had initially been allowed to show their support for players from both countries, but not in a way that “could cause disruption”, according to TA.
A Russian flag was visible in the crowd during Kamilla Rakhimova’s first-round match against Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl on Monday, prompting calls from Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand for action to be taken.
TA on Tuesday confirmed a policy reversal that banned flags from Russia and Belarus anywhere at Melbourne Park for the rest of the year’s first grand slam.
Yet the red, white and blue of a Russian flag could been seen in the stands of John Cain Arena during Tuesday’s match between Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev and Austrian Dominic Thiem:
More now on Andrey Medvedev, the alleged former commander with the Russian mercenary Wagner Group seeking asylum in Norway.
Rights group Gulagu.net, which advocates for prisoners in Russian detention, has published interviews with Medvedev, including one after his crossing into Norway, where he detailed his dramatic escape.
“When I was on the ice [at the border], I heard dogs barking, I turned around, I saw people with torches, about 150 metres (500ft) away, running in my direction,” Medvedev says in one video. “I heard two shots, the bullets whizzed by.”
According to Gulagu.net, Medvedev originally signed a four-month contract with Wagner in early July 2022 and claims to have witnessed executions and reprisals against those who refused to fight and wanted to leave.
Ex-Wagner member seeking asylum in Norway
An alleged former commander with the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has sought asylum in Norway, authorities say, after deserting the organisation that has played a central role in some of the major battles of the Ukraine conflict.
Andrey Medvedev, 26, reportedly crossed the border into Norway near the Pasvikdalen valley shortly before 2am last Friday, where he was arrested and detained by border guards.
The Norwegian directorate of immigration (UDI) confirmed to the Associated Press that Andrey Medvedev sought shelter in the country but “for reasons of security and privacy … cannot comment further on this matter”.
Police, who did not confirm his identity, said in a statement to Agence France-Presse that a man was “detained by Norwegian border guards and Norwegian police at 1.58am (0058 GMT)” on Friday morning.
“He has applied for asylum in Norway,” said Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen, chief of staff for the police in Finnmark, northern Norway:
7,000 civilians confirmed killed, but actual toll ‘considerably higher’, says UN
More than 7,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour last February, the Office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) said on Monday.
“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and airstrikes,” an OHCHR statement said.
The UN rights office said it had confirmed 7,031 civilian deaths but believes actual casualty tolls are “considerably higher” given the pending corroboration of many reports and the inaccessibility of areas where intense fighting is taking place.
Most of the recorded civilian deaths occurred in government-held areas of Ukraine – 6,536 compared with 495 recorded in Russian-held areas. OHCHR did not attribute responsibility for the deaths.
Ukraine says the numbers of civilians killed could run into the tens of thousands. Both countries deny targeting civilians.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest developments for the next while.
The Office of the UN high commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday that it had confirmed 7,031 civilian deaths over the course of less than a year of the war. The UN rights office noted that it believes actual casualty tolls are “considerably higher” given the pending corroboration of many reports and the inaccessibility of areas where intense fighting is taking place.
We’ll have more on this news shortly. In the meantime, here are the other key recent developments:
-
Russia and Ukraine have been working on a large prisoner exchange deal which will include 1,000 people in total, Turkish ombudsman Seref Malkoc said on Monday. Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets met last week on the sidelines of an international ombudsman conference in Ankara.
-
Britain will send a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help push back Russia’s invasion, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has confirmed. Outlining details to the UK’s parliament, Wallace described the military support as “the most significant package of combat power to date to accelerate Ukrainian success”.
-
The announcement makes the UK the first western power to supply the Ukrainians with main battle tanks, which would be used to help train Ukrainian troops, and will heap further pressure on Germany to approve a wider delivery of the vehicles this week. Britain’s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, urged Germany to permit the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, adding that the move could unlock support from other nations.
-
Germany should take “decisive actions” and send “all sorts of weapons” to Ukraine to help its troops defend themselves against Russia’s invasion, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said. Morawiecki, speaking in parliament, implicitly criticised the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for his reluctance to supply Kyiv with heavier weaponry.
-
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, and her Dutch counterpart, Wopke Hoekstra, condemned the deportation by Russians of thousands of Ukrainian children. Russia “must account for the whereabouts of these children”, Baerbock said at a joint news conference with Hoekstra, who said this “deliberate Russian policy” is “tearing families apart and traumatising children”.
-
Russia carried out two mass rocket strikes on Ukraine on Saturday, devastating an apartment block in the south-central city of Dnipro, where at least 40 people have died and scores were injured. Dozens are still missing, city official Gennadiy Korban wrote on Telegram on Monday. 75 people were wounded in the strike, including 14 children, he said. The victims from the attack included a 15-year-old girl, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his latest nightly address.
-
Russia and Belarus began joint air force drills this morning, triggering fears in Kyiv and the west that Moscow could use its ally to launch a new ground offensive in Ukraine. According to a statement published to the Telegram account of the Belarus ministry of defence, units from Russia’s aerospace forces arrived at the airfields of Belarus late on Sunday night. Shortly after 8am local time the ministry said the planned combat training tasks had begun.
-
Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, wounding civilians and destroying residential infrastructure, according to regional officials. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the office of the president of Ukraine, said “The occupiers launched a rocket attack on the regional centre. The rocket hit next to a five-story building. Five people, including two children aged nine and 15, were injured by glass fragments. The children were hospitalised.”
-
President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone on Monday where they discussed the conflict in Ukraine, according to readouts of the call from both sides. The pair discussed the question of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said, as well as the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports and ways to unblock fertiliser and food exports from Russia.
-
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said Ukraine could expect more deliveries of heavy weapons from western countries soon. Western allies will consider sending battle tanks to Kyiv ahead of a meeting in Ramstein in Germany on Friday, where governments are expected to announce their latest pledges of military support.
-
A Russian man who reportedly fought for the private mercenary Wagner group has crossed into Norway and requested political asylum, according to Norwegian authorities. Andrey Medvedev, who reportedly served as a high-ranking Wagner group member, has sought shelter in Norway, authorities confirmed to the Associated Press.