Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — December 2025

Summary
• Civilian casualties in December 2025 remained high, with at least 157 killed and 888 injured. The number of casualties in December was similar to the casualty numbers in recent months, but a 66 per cent increase compared with December 2024 (109 killed; 522 injured).

• The total civilian casualties in Ukraine in 2025 reached at least 2,514 killed and 12,142 injured, which is a 31 per cent increase compared to 2024 (2,088 killed; 9,138 injured) and a 70 per cent increase compared to 2023 (1,974 killed; 6,651 injured).

• In December, long-range strikes with missiles and loitering munitions launched by Russian armed forces accounted for 33 per cent of all civilian casualties (34 killed; 308 injured), usually affecting urban centers far from the frontline. 67 per cent of civilian casualties occurred near the frontline (122 killed; 571 injured). Short-range drones, predominantly with first-person-view capacity, remained the primary cause of civilian casualties in frontline regions (58 killed; 256 injured), followed by artillery shelling and MLRS strikes (43 killed; 165 injured), and aerial bombardments (21 killed; 150 injured).

• As in the previous month, the vast majority of civilian casualties (96 per cent1) occurred in areas under the control of the Government of Ukraine. Civilian casualties were recorded across 15 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.

• The Russian Federation continued large-scale, as well as region-specific attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Odesa region was among the most affected areas in December, experiencing repeated strikes that resulted in prolonged power outages in several cities.