Civilian casualties in Ukraine have increased by 50%. Russia is acting deliberately – UN
The consequences of the attack on the Dnieper (Photo: Telegram of Serhiy Lysak)

The number of civilian casualties in the first five months of 2025 was almost 50% higher than in the same period last year due to Russia's deliberate tactic of firing ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities, according to a new report by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

"Ballistic missiles, when used in densely populated areas, cause predictable and widespread harm to civilians," said mission head Danielle Bell.

As noted by the UN, the trend may continue in the summer, given the recent Russian attacks on the Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa regions.

According to Bell, the timing of these strikes also underscores Russia's deliberate intent to inflict as much harm on people as possible.

"The attacks occurred during the day, when civilians were at work, on trains or at school. The timing alone made the large number of civilian casualties entirely predictable," she said.

  • Previously, the UN monitoring mission had already recorded an increase in civilian casualties due to Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
  • In particular, the Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih in April was the largest in terms of the number of children killed since February 2022.