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At least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 injured in June deadliest month for civilians since April 2022according to the latest renew.
May had recorded the highest number of civilian casualties in more than four years, with 282 people killed and 1,794 injured, but June surpassed those numbers.
The risk is getting bigger
“The numbers show an alarming upward trend with the increasing number of civilian casualtiesdriven by the increasingly intensive use of powerful weapons that are very deadly when used in densely populated urban areas,” said Danielle Bell, head of HRMMU.
“This trend should serve as a reminder of that The risks faced by civilians not only continue but are also increasing in scale and complexityhe added.
During the first six months of 2026, monitoring agencies verified 1,396 civilians killed and 7,978 injured – an increase of 37 percent compared to the same period in 2025 and an increase of 114 percent compared to 2024.
Deadly missile and drone attacks
This increase is largely due to the use of long-range weapons – powerful missiles with a wide impact as well as drones – especially in urban centers far from the front lines, such as the capital Kyiv and the city of Dnipro.
Between January and June, civilian casualties from such attacks increased by 60 percent compared to 2025.
Meanwhile, short-range drones were responsible for the majority of civilian deaths and injuries in areas near the front lines, reaching a monthly high in June with 89 people killed and 588 people injured.
‘Shooting and attacking day and night’
“Short-range drones have changed the environment for civilians living near the front lines. The reports we hear from civilians fleeing frontline communities are consistent – and frightening,” Bell said.
“Many describe the feeling of being hounded by drones over short distances just to carry out everyday tasks such as shopping for food, walking the dog, cyclingwork in the yard or travel to a safe place.”
Inspectors spoke with an elderly woman who was recently evacuated from the front-line village of Preobrazhenka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
“There were drones everywhere. They were all flying overhead. I didn’t know where to hide,” he said. “There is huge fear out there. They shoot and attack day and night.”
Attacked area
Most of the civilian casualties occurred in areas under the control of the Government of Ukraine, and in 13 regions and the city of Kyiv. UN investigators also verified civilian casualties in the occupied territories, although fewer than in 2025.
Russia also reported increasing civilian casualties on its territory in the first six months of this year. Authorities said 250 civilians were killed and 1,596 injured, an increase of 121 percent compared to the same period in 2025.
Moscow also continued to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in June, updates also documented a sharp increase in Ukrainian attacks on power generation, distribution and transmission facilities in the occupied territory of Crimea.
At least 12 similar attacks resulted in emergency or scheduled power outages.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since then, UN human rights monitors have verified at least 16,431 civilians killed and 48,613 injured, with more than 3,700 children among the victims – the number of victims is likely much higher given access constraints.
