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UN: Civilian Deaths in Ukraine Hit 3-Year High Amid Escalating Russian Strikes
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
June 2025 saw the highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine in the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured. These figures were published in the latest report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on July 10.
According to the report, a total of 6,754 civilian casualties were recorded in the first half of 2025 — a 54% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 4,381 cases were documented.
The number of civilian deaths rose by 17%, while injuries surged by 64% over the past six months. The UN notes that in June alone, Russia launched ten times more missile and strike drone attacks than in June 2024, striking at least 16 regions of Ukraine and the capital, Kyiv.
“The civilian population across Ukraine is experiencing suffering we haven’t seen in over three years,” said Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. “The increase in long-range missile strikes and drone attacks has brought even more death and destruction to civilians in areas far from the front line.”
UN experts attribute the sharp rise in casualties to Russia’s intensified strikes on cities using long-range missiles and drones, which cause widespread destruction. The report also highlights a growing use of short-range drones to target towns and villages near the front line — a tactic increasingly responsible for deadly attacks on civilians.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the UN has documented at least 13,580 civilian deaths in Ukraine, including 716 children. Another 34,115 civilians have been injured, among them 2,173 children.
Earlier, Russia launched Shahed drones and ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital. While the exact number of aerial weapons used in the latest strike is still being verified, previous attacks have involved more than 500 drones.
