Number of victims of Russian shelling in Ukraine in 5 months of the year is 50% higher than in 2024, - UN Monitoring Mission
In the first five months of 2025, the number of civilian deaths and injuries in Ukraine as a result of Russian strikes was almost 50 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in the monthly report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
According to the data verified by the HRMMU, in May alone, at least 183 civilians were killed and 836 injured in Ukraine. The high level of civilian deaths and injuries in May followed a sharp increase in the number of casualties in April, experts say.
The UN said rocket attacks and long-range drones (barrage munitions) caused the most damage across the country, while short-range drones, mostly with high-resolution cameras on board used for precision targeting, caused the most civilian casualties in frontline settlements.
"This year has been devastating for civilians across Ukraine, with significantly more deaths and injuries than during the same period in 2024. The intensification of long-range attacks with missiles and loitering munitions and frequent attacks with short-range drones along the frontline are a deadly combination for civilians," said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU.
The HRMMU says that in June, the use of long-range weapons intensified further, resulting in more civilian casualties.
"At this pace and scale, further loss of civilian life is not just possible—it is inevitable," Bell stressed.
The UN noted that, according to the Ukrainian authorities, since 6 June, the Russian armed forces have fired more than 1,500 long-range weapons into Ukraine, and the HRMMU is currently verifying reports that in the past five days at least 19 civilians have been killed and 205 injured in cities across the country by these weapons or shrapnel after interception, with Kharkiv, as well as Kyiv, Odesa and other cities farther from the front line, being particularly affected.
