June deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, U.N. says

June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 293 killed and 1,990 injured, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said in a report released July 14.

June's casualty total surpassed the previous record set in May, when 282 people were killed and 1,794 injured, and was 37% higher than the total in June 2025.

"Following the sharp increase documented in May, civilian casualties continued to rise, reaching the highest total number of civilians killed and injured since April 2022," the mission said.

According to Danielle Bell, head of the HRMMU, the steady increase in civilian casualties during the first half of 2026 reflects Russia's intensified attacks and growing use of powerful weapons.

"This trend should serve as a warning that the risks faced by civilians are not only persisting but are increasing in both scale and complexity," Bell said.

The U.N. documented 1,396 civilians killed and 7,978 injured during the first six months of 2026, representing a 37% increase compared with the same period in 2025 and a 114% increase compared with the first half of 2024.

Long-range missiles and drones remained the leading cause of civilian casualties in June, accounting for 45% of all casualties, with 126 people killed and 907 injured. Most of those attacks struck urban centers far from the front line, including Kyiv and Dnipro, according to the report.

Meanwhile, civilian casualties caused by short-range drones near the front line reached their highest monthly level since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, killing 89 people and injuring 588 others. Aerial bombs, artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems also continued to inflict heavy civilian losses.

The highest numbers of civilian casualties in June were recorded in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where 23 people were killed and 229 injured, followed by Kherson Oblast with 18 killed and 236 injured. Dnipro recorded 25 deaths and 77 injuries, while Kyiv recorded 11 deaths and 112 injuries.

The report also noted that Russian forces continued attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout June. It additionally documented a sharp increase in Ukrainian strikes on electricity generation, distribution, and transmission facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea, recording at least 12 attacks that caused emergency or scheduled power outages.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has verified the deaths of at least 16,431 civilians, including 803 children, and injuries to 48,613 others, including 2,960 children.

The U.N. says the actual figures are likely higher because it has been unable to verify reports from areas under Russian occupation.