Investigative Group Publishes Map Of Destroyed Civilian Targets In Ukraine

A firefighter works outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv on March 15.

The open-source investigative group Bellingcat has published an interactive map of civilian facilities destroyed by Russia in the course of its invasion of Ukraine.

The map is based on video and photographic evidence documented by Bellingcat, and charts by time and place several hundred incidents that have potentially harmed or affected civilians since Russia's war in Ukraine began on February 24.

Among the incidents are "missile hits in residential areas, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the obvious presence of injured civilians or the motionless bodies of civilians," Bellingcat said.

The investigative group said that documenting such cases was "very important in light of the statements by the Russian authorities that they do not seek to attack civilians and avoid hitting civilian infrastructure."

The World Health Organization has said it has verified 43 attacks on hospitals and health facilities in Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and injuries to 34.

The United Nations estimates that more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees have left the country to escape the fighting.