Civilian deaths in Ukraine in July hit highest level since May 2022: UN

What the report says

The United Nations says civilian harm in Ukraine rose sharply in July, with at least 437 people killed and 2,610 injured, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. Al Jazeera reported that this was the highest monthly civilian death toll in Ukraine since May 2022, early in Russia’s full-scale invasion. The UN said the figures represent a 30 percent increase from June and a 70 percent rise from July 2025.

The mission said it had verified 16,874 civilian deaths since Russia’s invasion began, while warning the true toll is likely higher because it cannot fully confirm casualties in areas occupied by Russian forces. Al Jazeera noted that this includes Mariupol, where large numbers of deaths are widely believed to have gone uncounted. The UN also said Kyiv was among the hardest-hit places in July, with at least 54 civilians killed there.

The report came alongside continued battlefield and drone attacks. Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone hit a passenger train in the Odesa region on Thursday, killing two crew members, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of targeting civilians and called for stronger air defenses. Russian state media also reported a blast in Russian-annexed Crimea that killed a Russian military official. More broadly, the war has increasingly included long-range strikes on infrastructure and energy sites on both sides.