KYIV – 30 June 2025: There has been a significant escalation in recent months in civilian casualties and human rights violations in Ukraine amid intensified fighting and evolving tactics of warfare, including a sharp rise in often deadly drone attacks, a UN Human Rights Office report details today.
The report, covering the period from 1 December 2024 to 31 May 2025, highlights a 37 per cent increase in civilian casualties compared to the same period the previous year, with 968 civilians killed and 4,807 injured. The majority of these casualties occurred in areas controlled by the Government of Ukraine, primarily as a result of attacks by Russian armed forces using long-range explosive weapons in populated areas and short-range drones near frontline areas.
Nearly half of all civilian casualties were caused by missiles, loitering munitions, and air-dropped bombs in densely populated areas. In at least three attacks, Russian armed forces deployed missiles with fragmentation warheads that detonated above ground, scattering fragments across large open areas, killing and injuring many civilians at once.
"The war in Ukraine - now in its fourth year - is becoming increasingly deadly for civilians," said Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. "We continue to document patterns of violence that are inconsistent with obligations under international humanitarian law."
The report finds that the use of short-range drones is driving the rise in civilian casualties. The Office verified that 207 civilians were killed and 1,365 injured by these attacks. In one of the deadliest incidents, a Russian drone strike on a civilian bus transporting employees of a mining company to work in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed 8 women and 2 men and injured 57 other civilians.
"The high number of civilian casualties from the use of short-range drones, which allow operators to see their targets in real time, raises grave concerns," Bell said. "Our findings strongly suggest a failure to distinguish between civilian and military targets, and to take all feasible precautions to verify the military nature of those targets - or worse, an intentional decision not to."
In the period under review, Russian armed forces struck at least five hospitals directly, some of them with multiple loitering munitions, suggesting potential deliberate targeting of the hospitals in violation of international humanitarian law.
Serious violations against prisoners of war (POWs) remain a major concern. The Human Rights Office documented credible allegations that at least 35 Ukrainian POWs and one Russian POW were executed.
The Office interviewed 117 recently released Ukrainian POWs and two detained medical personnel, nearly all of whom described being tortured and ill-treated in Russian captivity. Survivors detailed severe beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, dog attacks, and deliberate humiliation, often at the hands of personnel wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities.
“The continued brutalization of Ukrainian prisoners of war is not only inhumane, but it is a serious violation of international law,” Bell said. “These are not isolated incidents - they point to well-documented patterns of widespread and systematic torture that demand urgent and unambiguous accountability, and measures toward prevention.”
More than half of the 95 interviewed Russian POWs and third-country nationals held by Ukraine also reported abuse, including torture, ill-treatment, threats, and internment in unofficial facilities. Most of the acts occurred in transit places before arrival at official places of internment.
The report highlights ongoing human rights concerns with Ukrainian civilians unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation authorities, predominantly in occupied territory. Released civilians described torture, ill-treatment, and dire conditions of detention.
In occupied territory, Ukrainians faced increased coercion to adopt Russian citizenship. During the six-month period, the Office documented over 16,000 homes listed by Russian occupation authorities as potentially ‘abandoned’ and therefore at risk of being confiscated. Displaced residents faced severe legal and logistical obstacles, as well as security risks, to reclaim their property.
The report also details the recruitment and use of Ukrainian children for sabotage activities of increasing gravity against Ukrainian military objectives, reportedly by unidentified actors, likely affiliated with the Russian Federation, according to Ukrainian law enforcement authorities. Some of the children were killed or injured; others are facing prosecution after being enticed via social media to commit arson or plant explosives.
"Using children to commit acts of sabotage or violence exploits their vulnerability and endangers their lives," Bell emphasized. "It compounds their suffering by exposing them to violence, coercion, and harsh legal consequences."
Older people, most of whom are women, and persons with disabilities remain at disproportionate risk, particularly in frontline areas. Many are unable to evacuate due to poverty and limited housing options. Those who do leave often face long stays in shelters that lack appropriate facilities or are placed in institutional settings due to the absence of suitable alternatives.
The report calls for full respect of international humanitarian and human rights law, accountability for all violations, and unhindered access for humanitarian actors and independent monitors.
ENDS
