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Ukraine Civilian Deaths in July Reach Highest Monthly Toll Since 2022, UN Reports
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
In July, civilian casualties in Ukraine reached a new three-year high, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported on August 13 in its latest update on civilian protection.
According to the mission, 286 civilians were killed and 1,388 injured in July—the highest monthly figures since May 2022 and exceeding those recorded in June 2025. HRMMU confirmed civilian casualties in 18 of the country’s 24 regions.
“For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine has set a new three-year high,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “Only in the first three months after the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion were there more people killed and injured than in the past month.”
Nearly 40% of the casualties were caused by the use of long-range weapons, including missiles and loitering munitions—resulting in 89 killed and 572 injured. On July 31, a missile strike on Kyiv combined with loitering munitions caused the highest number of civilian casualties in the capital since the beginning of the full-scale invasion: 31 killed and 171 injured. Most of the victims, including five children, were inside a residential building struck by a missile.
The rise in casualties compared to June was concentrated mainly in Ukrainian government-controlled areas along the frontline, reflecting the intensity of Russian efforts to seize territory.
Short-range drones were the second leading cause of civilian deaths, accounting for 24% of casualties—64 killed and 337 injured. Losses from such drones increased sharply compared to July 2024, as recorded in HRMMU’s June 2025 bulletin.
Aerial bombs dropped by Russian forces were the primary driver of the sharp increase in casualties. In July 2025, they caused 276 casualties (67 killed and 209 injured), compared to 114 (34 killed and 80 injured) in June. On July 28, air-dropped bombs hit a correctional facility in the village of Bilenke, Zaporizhzhia region, killing 16 prisoners and injuring at least 43 men. On July 31, an aerial bomb struck a residential building in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, killing at least five civilians.
HRMMU noted that the high casualty figures in July continued the upward trend seen throughout 2025. Civilian casualties in the first seven months of this year were 48% higher than during the same period in 2024.
“No matter whether you are in a hospital or a prison, at home or at work, close to the frontline or far from it, you are at risk of being killed or injured due to the war in Ukraine today,” Bell stressed. “The risk is significantly higher than last year and continues to rise.”
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, HRMMU has documented at least 13,883 civilian deaths, including 726 children, and 35,548 injuries, among them 2,234 children.
Earlier, in June 2025, Ukraine recorded its highest civilian casualty toll in three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured.
