Civilian casualties in Ukraine have risen sharply due to Russia’s use of ballistic missiles in major cities - UN
April 2025 was the month with the highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine since September 2024.
This is stated in the monthly report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
Thus, 97% of all victims are civilians who were in the government-controlled territory of Ukraine. Almost half of them suffered from rocket attacks and shelling by the Russian armed forces.
"The Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv have been subjected to devastating shelling, resulting in numerous civilian deaths and injuries. One of the main reasons for this sharp increase in casualties was the massive use of ballistic missiles against major cities across the country," said HRMMU Chief Monitor Danielle Belle.
This pattern of attacks on Ukraine's major cities continued in May. New attacks with rockets and barrage munitions were recorded, in particular in the Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, which again resulted in civilian casualties, the report said.
Short-range drone attacks in areas near the front line accounted for 23% of all civilian casualties in April, the HRMMU added.
"This number of civilian casualties in April reflects a broader trend in 2025 - we are seeing an increase in civilian casualties. From January to April 2025, 664 civilians were killed and another 3,425 were injured, a 59% increase compared to the same period in 2024," the UN noted.
