Civilian deaths in Ukraine in July hit highest level since May 2022: UN

The United Nations has reported that civilian deaths in Ukraine have reached their highest level in July since the opening months of Russia’s invasion in 2022.

“At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, a 30 percent increase compared with the previous month and a 70 percent increase compared with July 2025,” the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission said in a statement.

The UN said it has verified the deaths of 16,874 civilians since Russia’s invasion, but warned that this is likely a significant underestimate since it cannot confirm casualties in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.

That figure includes the port city of Mariupol, which Russia laid siege to at the start of the war and where thousands are widely thought to have died.

At least 54 civilians were killed in Kyiv during the month – “one of the hardest hit cities”, the UN said.

Russian authorities, for their part, reported an increase in the number of civilians killed to 79 in July.

On Thursday, Russian news agencies, citing ⁠the country’s Federal ⁠Security Service (FSB), said a Russian ⁠military official ⁠was killed in an ‌explosion in Russian-annexed Crimea.

Also on Thursday, a Russian drone hit a passenger train in southern Ukraine’s Odesa region, killing two of the train’s crew, according to Ukrainian officials.