Civilian casualties double in Ukraine amid escalating short-range drone attacks, UN says
on Google
Civilian casualties in Ukraine spiked by nearly 49% in March compared to February, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported on April 10.
According to the report, at least 211 people were killed in March, and 1,206 were injured.
The highest number of deaths in March resulted from short-range drone attacks, which killed 66 people.
The figures underscore Russia's intensifying attacks despite U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal, with Moscow continuing to push its maximalist demands on Ukraine for the surrender of the embattled Donbas.
Danielle Bell, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said that front-line areas are "extremely dangerous" for civilians largely due to short-range drones, with half of those killed in these regions last month being elderly.
"Some were struck with drones while walking to collect their pensions or working in their gardens, in other words, while they tried to carry on with their everyday lives," Bell said.
Local authorities in regions bordering Russia or located near the frontline provide daily reports of Russian FPV (first-person view) drones killing and injuring civilians.
In 2025, the number of casualties more than doubled compared to 2024, with 580 deaths compared to 226, and 3,295 injuries versus 1,528, according to the report.
In March of this year, the numbers increased again, by around 70% compared to March 2025.
The U.N. has documented over 15,500 civilians killed and more than 43,300 injured during the full-scale war, though the real figure is likely much higher as Russia prevents independent monitoring in some of the most war-affected regions.
