Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — July 2026
Summary
At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July 2026, a 30 per cent increase compared to June 2026 (298 killed; 2,041 injured) and a 70 per cent increase compared to July 2025 (312 killed; 1,482 injured). The number of civilians killed was the highest since May 2022.1 The number of child casualties (17 killed; 166 injured) was the highest since April 2022.2
Long-range weapons (missiles and drones) remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for 38 per cent of the total (183 killed; 967 injured). Most casualties from these weapons occurred far from the frontline in urban centres.
Civilian casualties from aerial bombardments (105 killed; 753 injured) increased by 143 per cent compared with June 2026 (45 killed; 308 injured), with glide bombs becoming the second leading cause of civilian casualties.
Civilian casualties caused by short-range drones near the frontline reached their highest monthly level since 24 February 2022 (111 killed; 710 injured) and caused 27 per cent of all casualties.
Civilians were killed or injured across 14 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. The highest numbers of killed and injured were documented in the cities of Kyiv (54 killed; 202 injured), Kherson (34 killed; 424 injured), Zaporizhzhia (27 killed; 280 injured), and Sumy (20 killed; 152 injured).
The verified figures include 25 civilians killed and 50 injured in territory of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. Increasingly limited publicly available information about civilian casualties in occupied territory has made verification more challenging and means that the actual number of civilian casualties there is likely significantly higher.
The armed forces of Ukraine attacked power generation, distribution and transmission facilities in occupied Crimea at least 31 times, a significant increase compared with June 2026 (12 attacks). The attacks resulted in emergency or scheduled power outages. The Russian armed forces also attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Attacks on sea vessels and seaport infrastructure in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions intensified. At least 39 such attacks, including at least 20 on sea vessels, caused damage to vessels or seaport infrastructure, with some also resulting in civilian casualties, including among port and vessel personnel (19 killed; 25 injured).These attacks negatively affected the international transport of goods and agricultural products through the Black Sea.
1. HRMMU documented at least 589 civilians killed and 1,152 injured in May 2022.
2. HRMMU documented at least 62 children killed and 149 injured in April 2022.
