Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — July 2025
Summary
• With at least 1,674 civilian casualties (286 killed; 1,388 injured), the number of civilian casualties continued to rise in July, setting a new record for monthly overall casualties since May 2022.1 In July 2025, 22.5 per cent more civilians were killed or injured than in July 2024.
• The increase in the number of civilian casualties between June and July 2025 mainly took place in areas controlled by the Government of Ukraine along the frontline, reflecting intensive military efforts by Russian armed forces to capture territory. Aerial bombs dropped by Russian armed forces accounted for the largest increase in civilian casualties with 276 casualties (67 killed; 209 injured) in July 2025 compared with 114 (34 killed; 80 injured) in June 2025.
• While the number of casualties from long-range strikes with missiles and loitering munitions decreased by about 20 per cent in July compared with June 2025, they continued to pose a significant threat to civilians, causing almost 40 per cent of all civilian casualties, including in urban centres such as Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv.
• Short-range drones were the second leading cause of civilian casualties, after long-range weapons, accounting for 24 per cent of the casualties (64 killed; 337 injured)2.
• Like in previous month, the vast majority of civilian casualties (98 per cent)3 occurred in areas controlled by the Government of Ukraine. Civilian casualties were recorded across 18 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.
1 Based on data verified by HRMMU, July 2025 has seen the highest overall number of civilian casualties since May 2022 (1,741 civilian casualties: 589 killed and 1,152 injured).
2 For an analysis of the use of short-range drones in Ukraine, see: The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Deadly drones: Civilians at risk from short-range drones in frontline areas of Ukraine, 24 February 2022 — 30 April 2025, 26 June 2025.
3 1,637 civilian casualties in territory controlled by Ukraine and 37 in territory occupied by the Russian Federation.
