Ukraine civilian death toll in July highest since May 2022, says UN

In July, the death toll of civilians in Ukraine reached its highest level since the early stages of Russia's invasion, according to the United Nations. The conflict, which began in February 2022, has become Europe's deadliest since World War II, with hundreds of thousands of casualties, primarily soldiers from both sides.

Russia intensified its long-range missile strikes, firing a record number of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles at Kyiv. At least 437 civilians were killed, marking a 30% increase from the previous month and a 70% rise compared to July 2022, as reported by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission.

The UN has verified the deaths of 16,874 civilians since the invasion, but acknowledges this figure is likely an underestimate, as access to parts of Ukraine controlled by Russian troops is restricted. The city of Mariupol, which Russia besieged at the start of the war, is believed to have seen thousands of civilian deaths.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to provide more advanced air defense systems, specifically US Patriots, to counter the attacks by super-fast ballistic missiles. In Kyiv, at least 54 civilians were killed during the month, one of the most affected cities.

Initially, Kyiv benefited from relative protection, but shortages of air defense systems and Russia's escalating strikes have left the capital vulnerable. Ukraine has also targeted Russia with long-range attacks, justifying them as retaliatory measures aimed at damaging Moscow's war machine and disrupting its energy revenues.

Russian authorities reported an additional 79 civilian deaths in July, but the UN could not independently verify these numbers due to limited access and information.