Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — February 2024

Summary

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) verified that at least 502 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine in February
2024. This number constitutes a 24 per cent decrease in comparison with January 2024, after a spike in civilian casualties documented in
December 2023 and January 2024, primarily from intensified attacks by Russian armed forces with missile and loitering munitions operational
at long ranges.

Most casualties in February 2024 continued to be caused by explosive weapons with wide area effects, with 73 per cent from the use of
artillery, MLRS and, increasingly, aerial bombardment, in communities near the frontline, mainly in Kharkiv, Kherson and Donetsk regions.

Most civilian casualties (89 per cent) and damage to educational and health facilities (64 per cent) continued to occur in Government-controlled territory.