June was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, the United Nations said Tuesday, underscoring the devastating impact of Russia’s intensified attacks on cities far from the front lines.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said at least 293 Ukrainian civilians were killed in June, taking the number of civilian deaths for the year to date to nearly 1,400. That’s 37% more than the same period last year, and more than double the figure for the same period in 2024.
The head of the HRMMU, Danielle Bell, said June’s figures “show an alarming escalatory trend with mounting civilian toll, driven by the intensifying use of powerful weapons that are particularly deadly when used in densely populated urban areas.”
HRMMU said the increase was driven largely by long-range Russian missiles fired into residential buildings in cities including Dnipro, Odesa and the capital, Kyiv.
Civilian casualties from long-range weapons have increased by 60% from January to June when compared with the same period in 2025, according to the UN.
