Nebenzya announced a fourfold increase in casualties among the civilian population of Donbass

The number of victims among civilians in Donbass has quadrupled after the start of deliveries of Western long-range weapons to Kyiv, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at an informal meeting of the UN Security Council.

“As soon as Ukraine began to receive long-range weapons from NATO countries in the summer of 2022, the Kyiv regime has new opportunities for the targeted destruction of the cities of Donbass. Since then, there has been a fourfold increase in civilian casualties and a threefold increase in civilian objects.” leads his words to RIA Novosti.

In total, since February 17, 2022, 4,591 civilians of the DPR and LPR have died, Nebenzia stressed. According to the diplomat, more than 2,000 cases of massive strikes have already been recorded since the end of November last year.

Russia’s special operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin called the protection of the inhabitants of Donbass, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, its goals. During the special operation, the LPR, DPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions became part of Russia.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized US and EU arms supplies to Kyiv. In particular, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has repeatedly pointed out that pumping Ukraine with weapons brings NATO closer to the dangerous line of a direct military clash with Russia.