The most civilians were killed and injured this July compared to any month since March 2022, marking a new peak in this year's escalation of harm to civilians, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said today.
At least 437 were killed and 2,610 injured last month, an increase of 30% since June and 70% since July 2025. The number of deaths is the highest since May 2022, and the number of children killed and injured is the highest since April 2022. The UN mission continues to verify information and the real statistics are likely higher.
"The number of civilians killed and injured has increased every month this year. This trend intensified sharply in July. "The number of civilian casualties and injuries in July was the highest we have recorded in a single month since March 2022," said Daniel Bell, Director of the mission in Ukraine.
When comparing the number of casualties and injuries in the first six months of this year (1,839 killed and 10,638 injured) with that in the previous two years, the UN mission found a 44% increase since 2025 (1,434 killed and 7,216 injured) and a double increase since 2024 (1,188 killed and 4,560 injured).
The Russian Federation also saw an increase in casualties and injuries in July - 79 dead and 601 injured according to the authorities. The UN mission in Ukraine was unable to independently verify this number to its standards due to lack of access and sufficient information.
As Russia stepped up its use of ballistic and cruise missiles, Kyiv remained among the worst-hit cities, with 54 killed and 202 injured in July. Russia fired 429 missiles last month, double the number in June, and many of them hit the Ukrainian capital. The deadliest attack on July 2 killed 30 people.
The most common cause was long-range weapons such as drones and missiles, which accounted for 38% of the cases in July. The second most common cause was guided bombs, with aerial bombings up 143% since June. Short-range drones near the front line are responsible for just over a quarter of the deaths and injuries.
Both large-scale attacks with high casualties and casualties and everyday attacks with fewer consequences have contributed to the statistics.
"Civilians face heightened risks from the increased use of missiles and drones in urban centers, planning bombs in cities closer to the front line and short-range drones," Bell said. "Collectively, these attacks are leading to an increase in the number of civilian deaths and injuries in different regions of Ukraine."
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has verified at least 16,874 deaths, including 820 children, and 51,273 injuries, including 3,126 children.