'Very high levels' of civilian casualties in Ukraine, UN human rights monitor says

The head of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says civilian casualties in the war are high and that the dangerous conditions in the country have made it difficult to know the true toll of the conflict on non-combatants.

Speaking from Uzhhorod, Ukraine, in an interview that aired Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Matilda Bogner warned of a dire situation in the country five weeks after it was invaded by Russia.

"Unfortunately, every day the civilian casualties are increasing," she said. "It's very high levels of civilian casualties in the country."

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented more than 3,000 civilian casualties, with 1,417 deaths.

But as tragic as that is, Bogner says the true number is likely far higher.

"The numbers that we record don't show the full picture, because we have to fully verify each individual casualty, and we know that there are more than those we've verified so far," she said.

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It's particularly difficult for her team to get information from regions and cities under heavy fire, such as the southeastern city of Mariupol.

"It's a bit like a black hole. It's very difficult to get information from these areas," Bogner said.

"There's no electricity, communications have been cut off, and so it's difficult to collect and to fully verify the casualties from those areas — and we know that the casualties are high in those areas."

Experts told CBC it could take years to determine an accurate number of civilian casualties.

Bogner added that even in some areas not under siege, the UN team can run into difficulties collecting information on civilian casualties.

"It's also difficult to reach out to people in areas that have been occupied by the Russian Federation, because people are often fearful to speak and to speak openly," she said.

But in areas the team can reach, the fact that the UN's human rights monitoring mission has had a presence since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014 has been an advantage.

"We have solid networks across the country, a lot of people know about our work and trust our work and therefore do speak to us," Bogner said.

Her team has also been visiting with prisoners of war to ensure that international laws and human rights are upheld.

Canada, officials condemn civilian deaths

The Ukrainian government has reported finding dead civilians in suburbs of Kyiv that Russian has withdrawn from.

The Canadian government said it will take action to punish those responsible for the atrocities.

"We strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable, and will continue to do everything we can to support the people of Ukraine," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet on Sunday.

"Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice."

"The news reports of the senseless murder of innocent civilians in Ukraine, including in Bucha, are shocking. Canada will not spare any effort, including investigations of war crimes, to ensure that those responsible are held to account," Global Affairs Canada wrote on Twitter.

Bob Rae, Canada's UN ambassador, said on Twitter that the casualties ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin's "fate is sealed."

"The name of #VladimirPutin will be forever associated with crimes of cruelty and savagery. #Bucha, #Mariepol and countless others will enter our consciousness and be linked to his name until the end of time. No armistice or treaty will change this," Rae said.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday, Ukrainian Canadian Congress president Alexandra Chyczij called on Canada and its allies to provide Ukraine with military aid — including fighter jets and tanks — to prevent civilian casualties in Ukraine.

"The international community is signalling to Russia that the world is prepared to stand by as Russia commits genocide. And should our policy continue to be guided by a desire not to 'provoke' Russia — rather than a desire to help Ukraine win this war — the next days and weeks will bring more Buchas," she said.

Bogner said local authorities in Ukraine have resorted to digging mass graves to lay the dead to rest.

"We have documented evidence of improvised graves. These are graves that have been organized by local authorities and volunteers and so on to deal with people who are dying there but who they can't bury in the ordinary graveyards because it's too dangerous to take them there," she said.

"We are aware of at least three of these larger graves, but we know that people have been burying the dead also in gardens, in other spaces, with one, two, maybe three bodies."

Bogner said the best solution right now would be humanitarian corridors so that civilians in cities like Mariupol can reach safety.

WATCH | Civilian deaths in Ukraine likely 'a lot higher' than reported, UN warns: 

Civilian deaths in Ukraine likely 'a lot higher' than reported, UN warns

3 years ago

Duration 7:38

The United Nations is warning that the civilian death count in Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be a lot worse than what's being reported. Rosemary Barton Live speaks with Matilda Bogner, head of the UN's Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, about the state of the country and the push for accountability.

Many who are still in the city are especially vulnerable, she says.

"Unfortunately, it's the most vulnerable people who remain in a city like Mariupol," she said.

"Others have found ways, often dangerous, but they have found ways to leave, and those who remain behind are the elderly, people with disabilities or people who for other reasons just have not been able to make use of transport and so on to leave the city."

While the UN's documentation of civilian casualties is partly about holding Russia to account, Bogner says preventing harm to civilians in the first place can't be forgotten in the team's work.

"Right now, violations are ongoing, and we want to see them stop, we want to see them reduce and stop as quickly as possible," she said.