MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Civilian casualties in Ukraine reached their highest monthly level in July, with more people killed and injured than at any time since March 2022, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country said in an update on Thursday.
Investigators verified that at least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured last month, marking 'a new high' in casualties this year, with a 30 per cent increase compared to June and a 70 per cent increase compared to July 2025.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year, with no diplomatic solution in sight.
According to investigators, child casualties also reached their highest level last month since April 2022, though the actual figure is likely to be higher as verification continues.
'Every month this year the number of killed and injured civilians has increased. That trend accelerated sharply in July. The number of civilian casualties in July was the highest we documented in a single month since March 2022,' said Danielle Bell, HRMMU chief.
During the first seven months of 2026, investigators verified that 12,477 civilian casualties resulted from conflict-related violence, with 1,830 killed and 10,638 wounded.
That toll represented a 44 per cent increase over the same period in 2025.
Ukraine's capital Kyiv was among the hardest hit cities in July. At least 54 civilians were killed and 202 injured, as Russian forces significantly stepped up the use of ballistic and cruise missiles.
Moscow launched at least 429 missiles in July, more than double the number in June, and many struck Kyiv.
The deadliest strike of the month occurred on 2 July. At least 30 civilians were killed and 104 injured when Russian forces launched 74 missiles and almost 500 long-range drones, mainly striking Kyiv city.
HMRRU also reported increase in civilian casualties in Russia in July with 79 civilians killed and 601 injured, according to authorities.
However, monitors were unable to independently verify these numbers due to lack of access and limited information.
According to UN data, at least 16,874 civilians were killed, including 820 children, and 51,173 others were injured, since Russia invaded Ukraine on 2022 February 24.
Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2026 AFX News
