Civilian casualties in Ukraine have risen sharply due to Russian ballistic missile strikes on cities – UN
The site of the attack on the playground in Kryvyi Rih (Photo: SES)

April was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine in more than six months of monitoring, due to an increase in Russian ballistic missile attacks on major Ukrainian cities, the United Nations reported .

At least 209 civilians were killed and 1,146 injured in Ukraine in April, the highest number of casualties since September 2024, according to the monthly report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

"Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Kyiv and Kharkiv have all suffered devastating attacks, resulting in dozens of people being killed or injured," said Head of Mission Daniel Bell.

According to him, one of the main reasons for the sharp increase in the number of civilian casualties was Russia's increased use of ballistic missiles in major Ukrainian cities.

The UN has highlighted that attacks on public places where families usually gather have led to a high number of child casualties. At least 19 children were killed and 78 injured in April, the highest confirmed monthly toll of child casualties since June 2022.

Short-range drone attacks near the front line are also causing a large number of casualties. Most of these attacks occur in the Kherson region.

According to the monitoring mission, the high number of civilian casualties in April reflects a broader trend of increased civilian harm in 2025 compared to 2024.

Between January and April 2025, 664 civilians were killed and 3,425 were injured, a 59 percent increase over the same period in 2024.

As noted by the UN, the trend of increasing attacks on large Ukrainian cities continues in May.

  • On the evening of April 4, the Russians struck near a playground in the center of a residential area of Kryvyi Rih , killing 18 people, including nine children. Later, on April 6, a man died in hospital from multiple wounds. A few hours after the missile attack, the invaders struck the city with "shaheeds", killing a woman.
  • On the morning of April 13, 2025, the occupiers launched two missile strikes on Sumy – it was the second attack that caused casualties. 35 people were killed and 129 were injured.
  • On April 24, Russia launched a massive combined strike on Kyiv, launching various missiles and strike drones. Eight people were killed.