Russia UN deplores danger from Russian aerial bombs in Ukraine
UN human rights experts in Ukraine have deplored the increasing number of civilian casualties caused by Russian aerial bombs.
10.01.2025, 09:02
SDA
In the attack on Zaporizhia alone, 13 civilians were killed, more than in any other single attack in the past two years, the UN Observer Mission for Human Rights in Ukraine wrote in a report. "This underscores the danger to civilians posed by the use of aerial bombs in populated areas".
According to the report, two bombs had hit an industrial plant in the large city the day before. In addition to the 13 civilians killed, 110 others were injured. According to the UN observers, 360 civilians were killed and 1,861 injured by bombs alone last year. The figure is six times higher than in the previous year, the report added.
A total of 2,064 civilians were killed last year (2023: 1,971 deaths), 9,089 others were injured (2023: 6,026 injured). The increase in the number of victims was largely due to the increased use of Russian glide bombs, the UN observer mission's report continued. After the start of the war, Russia began retrofitting glider bombs with additional wings and satellite positioning systems. According to various reports, these bombs are dropped at distances of 30 to 80 kilometers from the target and then glide towards it with relative precision.
Russia has already deployed more than 50,000 glide bombs
According to Ukrainian reports, the Russian air force has already used more than 51,000 glide bombs since the invasion of Ukraine. Around 40,000 of these were used last year, mainly on Ukrainian army positions and settlements close to the front line, the Ukrainian air force wrote on Telegram.
Civilians killed and injured in exchanges of fire along the front line
In the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, at least two people were killed by Russian shelling in the city of Siversk. "I repeat once again: it is dangerous to stay in the Donetsk region," wrote regional governor Vadym Filashkin on Telegram. He called on the remaining civilians to get to safety. The front line between Russian and Ukrainian troops runs only about ten kilometers east of the small town, which had more than 10,000 inhabitants before the war.
In addition, there were casualties on both sides in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine due to mutual shelling. At least two civilians were killed by Russian shelling and a further 14 were injured, the regional prosecutor's office announced on Telegram. The majority of the victims were in the regional capital of Kherson.
Civilian victims also in occupied areas
According to local authorities, there were also casualties on the opposite side of the Dnipro River, which forms the front line. Vladimir Saldo, the regional chief appointed by Moscow, reported at least two deaths on Telegram. A further six people were injured. The Ukrainian army is said to have used rockets with cluster munitions.
Parts of the Kherson region are occupied by Russia. Since the Russian withdrawal from the regional capital in November 2022, the Dnipro River has separated the warring parties.
According to local authorities, people were killed by Ukrainian artillery fire in the neighboring occupied part of the Zaporizhzhya region. Two women were killed in the town of Kamyanka-Dniprovska, just eight kilometers west of the decommissioned Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, wrote the head of the region's occupation administration, Yevgeny Balitsky, on Telegram. Several houses were damaged.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for almost three years.
