474 civilian deaths in Ukraine; 861 hurt
GENEVA — The UN human rights office says it has confirmed 474 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
The UN office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has been able to verify.
The office also said Tuesday that the number of confirmed civilian injuries now stands at 861.
It has however, acknowledged that the real figures are much higher, in part because intense fighting has delayed its receipt of information and many reports still have to be corroborated.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Russian strikes have destroyed more than 200 Ukrainian schools, 34 hospitals and 1,500 residential buildings.
He estimated some 10,000 foreign students, notably from India, China and the Persian Gulf are trapped by the fighting, and described attacks on British and Swiss journalists.
He claimed that Ukrainian forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops.
“Russian invaders fire on humanitarian corridors through which civilians are trying to escape,” he said, without saying where.
Russian officials did not comment Tuesday and have only acknowledged several hundred deaths among Russian forces.
