July deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since March 2022 – UN

In July 2026, Ukraine saw the deadliest month for civilians since March 2022, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. At least 437 civilians were killed, with a further 2,610 injured, marking a 30% increase compared to June and a 70% rise since July 2025. The month recorded the highest number of civilian deaths since May 2022 and the most children killed or injured since April 2022.

Danielle Bell, head of the mission, noted that while the real figures may be higher due to unverified reports, the trend of increasing civilian casualties accelerated sharply in July. The first seven months of 2026 saw 12,477 civilian casualties in Ukraine, 44% more than the same period in 2025 and more than double the figure from 2024.

Kyiv was particularly hard-hit, with at least 54 killed and 202 injured. Russia's use of ballistic and cruise missiles surged in July, with over 429 missiles launched - more than double the June total. The deadliest single attack occurred on July 2, when 30 civilians were killed and 104 injured, involving 74 missiles and nearly 500 drones.

Missile and drone strikes caused 38% of all civilian casualties, accounting for 183 deaths and 967 injuries. Aerial bombardments, including glide bombs, emerged as the second-largest cause of harm, resulting in 105 deaths and 753 injuries - a 143% increase compared to June. FPV drones and other short-range drones near the front line accounted for 27% of casualties, with 111 killed and 710 injured.

The U.N. mission stressed that the rise in civilian casualties stemmed from both large-scale attacks and daily lower-intensity strikes across various regions of Ukraine. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, at least 16,874 civilians have been killed, including 820 children, and 51,273 injured, including 3,126 children.

On July 3, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported that over the past 18 months, at least 1,270 civilians had been killed and over 6,000 wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine, marking a 40% increase compared to the previous year.