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Civilian Casualties in Ukraine Reached Four-Year High in May, UN Says
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
More than 2,000 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine in May 2026, marking the highest monthly civilian casualty toll recorded in the country since April 2022, according to a report published by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) on June 12.
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The mission verified at least 274 civilian deaths and 1,763 injuries during the month. According to the UN report, the sharp increase was driven primarily by Russian missile and aerial bomb strikes on populated urban areas, as well as a growing number of short-range drone attacks near the front line.
“The total civilian casualties in May exceeded 2,000, making it the month with the highest number of civilian casualties since April 2022,” Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said in a statement released alongside the report.
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According to the HRMMU, casualty figures in Ukraine have historically risen during the spring and summer months. However, the UN noted that the trend in 2026 is unfolding at a significantly higher level than in previous years.
The report identified the use of high-powered weapons in urban environments as the main cause of civilian harm.
Among the incidents highlighted by the UN was a Russian aerial bomb attack on an industrial area in Zaporizhzhia on May 5 that killed 12 civilians and injured 42 others. Another strike on May 14 hit a residential apartment building in Kyiv, killing 24 civilians and injuring at least seven.
“The harm to civilians that we documented was not confined to communities near the frontline. Across cities throughout Ukraine, repeated missile and aerial bomb attacks killed and injured civilians far from areas of active ground combat,” Bell said.
According to the UN mission, most casualties occurred in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. However, the report also documented civilian deaths and injuries in Russian-occupied areas.
One of the deadliest incidents occurred in occupied Starobilsk in the Luhansk region, where 21 civilians were reported killed after one or more projectiles struck a training facility during the night of May 21–22.
The HRMMU also reported record civilian casualties caused by short-range drones. In May, at least 64 civilians were killed and 539 injured in attacks involving such systems, the highest monthly figure recorded for this type of weapon since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kherson remained one of the most heavily affected cities. According to the UN report, 14 civilians were killed and 221 injured there during May. Of those casualties, six deaths and 132 injuries were linked specifically to short-range drone attacks.
The UN mission noted that Russian authorities separately reported 47 civilian deaths and 298 injuries inside Russia during May. The HRMMU said it continues to collect and analyze publicly available information regarding civilian casualties in Russia but cannot regularly verify those figures because of limited access to independent sources.
Earlier, a United Nations humanitarian convoy operating near the town of Bilozerka in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region was damaged by two drone strikes on May 14. Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, attributed the attack to Russian forces, while the UN confirmed that vehicles marked with UN insignia were hit and severely damaged.
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