Over 5,000 Female Civilians Dead in Ukraine War, According to UN Findings

More than 5,000 women and girls have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, with another 14,000 injured, according to new data presented Friday by UN Women in Geneva.

Sofia Calltorp, head of UN Women in Geneva, shared the figures during a briefing with reporters, offering a stark reminder of the war’s devastating toll on civilian life—and specifically on women and girls caught in the conflict.

The Numbers Behind the Headlines

The statistics represent more than five years of war translated into human terms: daughters, mothers, sisters, grandmothers. Each number in the UN tally corresponds to a life cut short, a family forever changed, a community mourning.

The 14,000 injured include women and girls who survived but carry physical and psychological wounds that may never fully heal. For many, the war’s impact extends beyond the moment of injury—to displacement, loss of livelihood, separation from family, and the daily struggle to survive in a country under assault.

Women in War

The UN figures highlight a reality sometimes overlooked in discussions of military strategy and territorial gains: that war’s heaviest burdens often fall on civilians, and that women face specific vulnerabilities in conflict zones.

Beyond casualties, Ukrainian women have taken on new roles since the invasion—serving in military capacities, leading households in the absence of partners, managing displacement, and sustaining communities under constant threat. Their resilience, like their suffering, has been extraordinary.

The Broader Context

The 5,000 figure, devastating on its own, represents only a portion of Ukraine’s total civilian casualties. Men and children have also died in large numbers. Entire communities have been devastated. The UN and other international bodies have documented widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and homes.

Efforts to document war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable continue, though the path to justice remains uncertain. What is clear is that the human cost of the invasion, now entering its fifth year, continues to mount.

A Continuing Crisis

As the war grinds on, the numbers will grow. More women will die. More families will mourn. More communities will be shattered. The UN’s documentation serves both as a record of what has already occurred and as a warning of what is still to come if the conflict does not end.

For the women and girls of Ukraine, the statistics represent not abstraction but experience. They are the ones who have died. They are the ones who survive. Their stories, too often untold, are the real measure of this war’s cost.

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