Ukraine

Casualties

Last updated: 13 October 2017

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2016

3,635 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties (2,387 killed; 1,248 injured)

Casualties occurring in 2016

785 (2015: 706)

2016 casualties by survival outcome

275 killed; 510 injured (2015: 429 killed; 277 injured)

2016 casualties by device type

218 antipersonnel mine; 127 antivehicle mine; 96 improvised mines; 8 unspecified mines; 82 ERW; 254 unknown device

 

In 2016, the Monitor identified 785 mine/ERW casualties in Ukraine.[1] Most casualties, 435 (or at least 55%), were military, 219 were civilian, and another 28 were deminers; the civil status of 103 casualties was unknown. At least 611 were male and 41 were female; the sex of 133 casualties was unknown. The majority of casualties, 618, were adults (581 men and 37 women) and 30 were children (26 boys and four girls); the age group of 133 casualties was unknown.

The 785 casualties identified in 2016 was a slight increase on the updated 2015 casualty total of 706, and a significant increase on the 158 casualties identified in 2014.[2] The total number of casualties in 2013 is unknown. For 2016, the annual casualty total was based on Monitor analysis of data provided by the HALO Trust,[3] Danish Demining Group (DDG), the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), and Action on Armed Violence (AOAV).[4]

Some records lacked sufficient detail to enable a comparison between incident reports provided by two or more sources that were recorded within a one-hour drive on approximately the same date.[5] However, the absence of a national casualty surveillance system means that, overall, the number of casualties recorded is probably an under representation of the actual total. HALO reported that while it assessed that the data for government controlled areas was fairly accurate, in non-government controlled areas casualties were underreported, as HALO knows or suspects that there were other casualties that they could not record.[6]

Ninety-five casualties were caused by improvised mines. HALO reported that these were mainly grenades activated by tripwires.[7]

The Monitor has recorded at least 3,635 (2,387 killed; 1,248 injured) in Ukraine to the end of 2016.[8] The UN reported that more than 1,500 civilians were killed in Ukraine between 1945 and 1995 in mine/ERW incidents. Another 130 people were killed during clearance operations in the same period.[9] The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) reported that between 1996 and 2008 there were 229 ERW casualties (100 killed; 129 injured), including 59 children, due to “handling of devices.”[10] The Monitor recorded 1,776 casualties (657 killed and 1,119   injured) from 2009 through 2016.

Cluster munition casualties[11]

The Monitor has recorded 76 cluster munition casualties in Ukraine; 72 casualties during attacks and four due to unexploded submunitions.[12]



[1] Casualty data provided by emails from Rune Bech Persson, Danish Demining Group (DDG), 15 August 2017; from Nick Smart, Regional Director Europe, HALO Trust, 26 June 2017; and from Jennifer Dathan, Researcher, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), 15 September 2017; and GICHD-SIPRI antivehicle mine database provided by email from Ursign Hofmann, Policy Advisor, GICHD, 24 August 2017.

[2] Additional data for 2014 and 2015 was received in 2017 by email from Nick Smart, HALO Trust, 26 June 2017.

[3] HALO collected data from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reports, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) reports, ICRC reports and open media sources. HALO also collected casualty data during rapid assessments and non-technical survey. Response to Monitor questionnaire from Nick Smart, HALO Trust, 26 June 2017

[4] Casualty data provided by emails from Rune Bech Persson, DDG, 15 August 2017; from Nick Smart, Regional HALO Trust, 26 June 2017; and from Jennifer Dathan, AOAV, 15 September 2017; and GICHD-SIPRI antivehicle mine database provided by email from Ursign Hofmann, GICHD, 24 August 2017.

[5] Therefore, due to the nature of available data some casualties that were not included in the annual total may not have been duplicates and a small number of casualties may have been duplicates with non-identical attributes recorded.

[6] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Nick Smart, HALO Trust, 26 June 2017. 

[7] Email from Nicholas Torbet, Operations Manager Ukraine, HALO Trust, 26 June 2017.

[8] The cumulative casualties are calculated using UN data for 1945–1995 (1,500 civilians; 130 deminers killed), Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) data for 1996–2008 (100 killed; 129 injured), and CCW Protocol V Article 10 report data for 2009–2011 (42 killed; 64 injured). See also previous Ukraine country profiles for 2010 and 2011 available on the Monitor website.

[9] ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 1999: Toward a Mine-Free World (New York: Human Rights Watch, April 1999).

[10] Monitor analysis of MES, “Daily Reports,” for calendar year 2008.

[11] Casualties occurring during cluster munition attacks and strikes are recorded separately from the Monitor mine/ERW casualty total.

[12] See, HRW, “Ukraine: Widespread Use of Cluster Munitions,” 20 October 2014; Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, “Cluster Munition Ban Policy Profile (2015): Ukraine,” November 2015; and casualty data provided by emails from Rune Bech Persson, DDG, 15 August 2017; and from Nick Smart, HALO Trust, 26 June 2017.