July 2026 worst month for civilian casualties in Ukraine since first month of full-scale war

July of 2026 saw the most civilians killed or injured in Ukraine since March 2022, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported on Aug. 13.

March 2022 marked the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, launched a week before on Feb. 24. As Russia exploits Ukraine's air defense shortage with escalating ballistic missile attacks, casualties in spring and summer 2026 have risen to their highest levels since the early days of the war.

At least 437 civilians in Ukraine were killed and 2,610 injured in July alone, the monitoring group said. This represents a 30% increase from June, which previously held the record for deadliest month since April 2022.

Casualties in July 2026 increased by 70% compared with July 2025. Child casualties also rose to their highest level since April 2022, with 17 children killed and 166 injured.

"Every month this year the number of killed and injured civilians has increased," HRMMU Head Danielle Bell said. "That trend accelerated sharply in July."

Russia's long-range missiles and drones remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, with most deaths and injuries from these weapons occurring in cities far from the front lines. Kyiv was particularly hard hit, with at least 54 residents killed and 202 injured in July.

Russia attacked Ukraine with over twice the number of missiles in July than in June. At least 429 were launched at Ukraine, many targeting Kyiv.

The deadliest attack of the month came on July 2, when Russia struck Kyiv with over 70 ballistic missiles and nearly 500 drones. At least 30 civilians were killed and over 100 injured in the assault.

Ukraine's depleted stocks of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors leave cities with little protection against Russian ballistic missiles. In July, Ukraine intercepted only 29 of the 195 ballistic missiles Russia launched, revealing the urgency of the air defense crisis.

The U.N. mission also noted that casualties from aerial attacks rose by 143% compared to June, with glide bombs trailing long-range weapons as the second leading cause of civilian injuries and deaths.

Russia's bombardments have continued into August. Kyiv and the surrounding region have continued to suffer large-scale ballistic missile strikes, while cities closer to the front lines face daily threats from short-range drones and guided aerial bombs.