Civilian casualties mostly related to indiscriminate shelling by Russia - UK intel

Large number of civilian casualties and damage to health care and educational facilities in Ukraine is caused by Russia's indiscriminate use of artillery and other weapons systems.

That’s according to an update by Britain’s Ministry of Defense, referring to the country’s intelligence, Ukrinform reports.

It is noted that as of February 13, 2023, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 18,955 civilian casualties since the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among them, 7,199 were killed and 11,756 were wounded. A total of 697 civilian casualties were recorded in January 2023.

OHCHR said they believe the actual numbers are much higher. According to another independent assessment, more than 16,000 civilians are believed to have been killed.

As of January 2023, violence continued along a 1,200 km-long frontline, but was focused mainly on Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia regions.

Throughout January, there was “a very high intensity, and worsening trend, of damage being inflicted to both medical and educational facilities.”

According to British intelligence, these incidents and consequent civilian casualties are likely to be largely due to Russia's indiscriminate use of artillery and other area weapon systems.

The previous update by British intelligence reported that Russia’s military losses as result of the ongoing offensive in the east, especially in Bakhmut and Vuhledar, remain high.