At least 1,151 civilians have now been killed since Russia launched a war on Ukraine, the UN said on Monday, as the number of people to have fled the country edges closer to 3.9 million.

Since Feb. 24, 2,975 civilian casualties have been recorded in Ukraine, with 1,151 killed, including 54 children, and 1,824 wounded, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in an update.

Most of the civilian casualties were caused by explosive weapons with a wide impact area, shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and airstrikes.

"OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed, and many reports are still pending corroboration," the agency added.

According to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, 143 children have been killed and 216 injured in Russian attacks as of Monday, the UN body said.

Nearly 3.9 million people – 3,866,224 – have fled the fighting in Ukraine, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

More than 2.29 million have escaped to neighboring Poland, over 595,000 to Romania, almost 384,000 to Moldova, more than 354,000 to Hungary, and some 275,000 to Slovakia.

More than 271,000 refugees have also gone to Russia and just over 9,000 to its ally Belarus.

“The escalation of conflict in Ukraine has caused the destruction of civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties, and has forced people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection, and assistance,” UNHCR said.

- Journalists in the firing line

At least seven journalists, both foreign and local, have perished since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign said.

Dozens more have been wounded and one is missing, according to the group’s latest update.

“Several more journalists who went into military service died in the fighting. That is why the Prosecutor General of Ukraine gives a different figure of 12 journalists killed,” read the statement./aa