UN records highest civilian casualty toll in Ukraine since 2022

More than 2,000 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine in May, making it the deadliest month for civilians since April 2022, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported on June 12.

The mission verified at least 274 civilian deaths and 1,763 injuries during the month, the highest monthly casualty toll recorded in the past four years.

"The intensification of hostilities and the increasingly frequent use of powerful weapons in urban areas led to high numbers of civilians killed and injured across the country," Danielle Bell, head of the HRMMU, said in a statement.

Among the deadliest incidents documented by the mission in May were a May 5 strike on an industrial area in Zaporizhzhia that killed 12 civilians and injured 42, and a May 14 missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv that killed 24 civilians and injured at least seven others.

The U.N. said the increase continued a seasonal pattern of rising civilian casualties during the spring and summer months, but noted that casualty levels in 2026 are significantly higher than in previous years.

"The harm documented was not confined to communities near the front line," Bell said. "In cities across Ukraine, repeated missile and aerial bomb attacks killed and injured civilians far from areas of active ground combat."

While most casualties occurred in government-controlled territory, the mission also documented civilian deaths and injuries in Russian-occupied areas. Among them was a strike on a training facility in occupied Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast, on the night of May 21-22 that killed 21 civilians and injured others.

Near the front line, short-range drone attacks remained a major driver of civilian harm. The U.N. verified at least 64 deaths and 539 injuries from short-range drone strikes in May, the highest monthly figure recorded for that weapon type since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Kherson was among the hardest-hit cities. The mission documented 14 civilian deaths and 221 injuries there in May, including six deaths and 132 injuries caused by short-range drone attacks. Russian drone operators have repeatedly targeted civilians, emergency workers, and civilian vehicles in what has become known as a "human safari."

The findings come as Russian attacks continue to inflict heavy civilian casualties across Ukraine on a daily basis. Just on June 13, Russian attacks killed at least eight civilians and injured 63 others across the country, according to regional authorities

The HRMMU also noted reports from Russian authorities claiming that 47 civilians were killed and 298 injured in Russia during May. The mission said it continues to collect and analyze publicly available information on civilian casualties in Russia but cannot regularly verify such figures due to limited access to independent sources.