Over 12,300 civilians killed in Russia-Ukraine war: UN

More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Ukraine war in the last three years, a UN official told a UN meeting, noting a spike in casualties due to the use of drones, long-range missiles and glide bombs.

Russia, which is making territorial gains in Ukraine's east, has conducted regular attacks on faraway cities in recent months using such weapons.

This contributed to a 30 percent rise in civilian deaths to 574 in Ukraine between September-November 2024 compared to the previous year, according to UN data.

In total, the United Nations deputy human rights chief Nada Al-Nashif said on Wednesday more than 12,300 civilians had been killed in Ukraine including 650 children - although the UN has repeatedly said its tally is an undercount since it only includes deaths its teams have managed to verify.

"Russian armed forces intensified their operations to capture further territory in eastern Ukraine, with a severe impact on civilians in frontline areas," she told a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"We are deeply concerned by the impacts on civilians of the increased use of drones and the use of new weapons," she added, saying Russia had used 2,000 long-range drones in November.

These examples of increasing gross violations of international human rights law may represent war crimes, Al-Nashif told the Council.

Russia's delegate senior counsellor Evgeniy Ustinov said the report was biased and that it whitewashed Kiev's crimes. Moscow has denied committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.

Ukraine's ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko described Russia's recent actions against it as "calculated, cruel and designed to inflict maximum pain and destruction".