11 June 2025, Kyiv – The latest wave of Russian long-range missile and drone attacks follows the continued trend of high civilian casualties in Ukraine in 2025, with civilian deaths and injuries in the first five months of 2025 nearly 50 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said today.
In its monthly protection of civilians update, HRMMU says that at least 183 civilians were killed and 836 injured across Ukraine in May alone. Attacks with long-range missiles and loitering munitions (drones) caused the most harm countrywide, while short-range drones, mainly those with onboard high-resolution cameras used for precision targeting, caused the highest civilian casualties in communities near the frontline. Ninety-seven per cent of the casualties occurred in territory controlled by Ukraine.
The high level of civilian deaths and injuries recorded in May followed a spike in civilian casualties in April.
“This year has been devastating for civilians across Ukraine, with significantly more deaths and injuries than during the same period in 2024,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “The intensification of long-range attacks with missiles and loitering munitions and frequent attacks with short-range drones along the frontline are a deadly combination for civilians.”
HRMMU noted that attacks with long-range weapons intensified even further in June, resulting in additional civilian casualties.
According to Ukrainian authorities, since 6 June, Russian armed forces have launched over 1500 long-range weapons into Ukraine. HRMMU is currently verifying reports that these weapons -or falling debris from their interception- have killed at least 19 civilians and injured 205 others in the last five days in cities across the country, with Kharkiv particularly affected, as well as Kyiv, Odesa and other cities far from the frontline.
“Hours-long nightly attacks with hundreds of weapons are sow fear among families who spend their nights in bomb shelters, listening to the sounds of drones flying overhead,” said Bell. “At this pace and scale, further loss of civilian life is not just possible—it is inevitable.”
