More than 900 civilians have died in Ukraine. The true number is likely much higher

Many of the casualties — 992 — occurred in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine's east, which are partially controlled by separatist rebels backed by Moscow.

• By Joe Hernandez/NPR

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says 902 civilians have been killed and another 1,459 have been wounded so far in the war in Ukraine. The office warned that the actual number is likely “considerably higher.”

Those casualties occurred between Feb. 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and Saturday at midnight local time, as Russia’s military continued bombing and assaulting cities.

Most of the injuries and deaths were caused by “explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” OHCHR said.

Many of the casualties — 992 — occurred in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine’s east, which are partially controlled by separatist rebels backed by Moscow.

OHCHR said there are likely more civilian casualties than it has officially recorded, especially stemming from intense fighting in recent days.

The Kremlin has denied targeting civilians during its invasion.

Here are some of the latest key developments in Ukraine:

Russia bombed an art school sheltering about 400 people. Russian military forces struck the school in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said. Ongoing shelling in the southeastern port city has prevented civilians from safely evacuating. According to the UN, more than 900 civilians have died since the invasion started.

Slovenia’s prime minister tells NPR he will send his country’s ambassador or chargé d’affaires back to Ukraine as a show of support. Prime Minister Janez Janša also wants the European Union to offer Ukraine a fast-track membership. “This is not time as usual, but there is a war going on,” he said.

Australia is banning the export of some types of ore to Russia. The restrictions are designed to curb Russia’s ability to produce aluminum — a key component in the making of ammunition. Russia relies on Australia for 20% of its alumina needs.

Ukraine urged Israel for more support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded for Israel to do more to help Ukraine In a speech to Israeli lawmakers, he also drew comparisons between the Russian invasion and the Holocaust. Zelenskyy asked why Israel — which is mediating Russia-Ukraine talks — won’t give Ukraine weapons or impose sanctions on Russia. He criticized Israel’s limits on accepting non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees.

President Biden is headed to Europe. The focus of the trip is to rally the world in support of Ukrainians and against Russia’s invasion, the White House said, but there are no plans for Biden to visit the country itself.

In-depth

Photojournalist Marcus Yam’s mission to capture humanity brings him to the deadly front lines of the war.

The family of a U.S. citizen killed in Ukraine last week are searching for answers.

The images of Ukraine flooding social media can’t give us the full picture.