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Civilian casualties in Ukraine rose sharply in July, reaching their highest level since May 2022, as Russia intensified its long-range missile strikes, the United Nations(UN) said on Thursday.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission said at least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured during the month, representing a 30 percent increase from June and a 70 percent rise compared with July 2025.
It said the July death toll was the highest recorded since May 2022, just months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“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 number of those killed is the highest recorded since May 2022,” it added.
The UN has verified 16,874 civilian deaths since the invasion began in February 2022 but warned that the actual figure is likely significantly higher because it cannot independently verify casualties in areas occupied by Russian forces, including Mariupol.
Russia fired a record number of missiles at Ukraine in July, according to an AFP analysis of data from Ukraine’s air force, with Kyiv among the cities hardest hit.
At least 54 civilians were killed in the Ukrainian capital during the month, the UN said, describing Kyiv as one of the worst-affected cities.
The capital had been relatively well protected during the early years of the war, but growing shortages of air defence systems and intensified Russian attacks have increased its vulnerability.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged allies to provide more advanced air defence systems, particularly US-made Patriot systems, to counter Russian ballistic missiles, which are difficult to intercept because of their speed and trajectory.
The escalation has come alongside increased Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia, which Kyiv describes as retaliatory attacks targeting Moscow’s military infrastructure and energy revenues.
Russian authorities also reported a rise in civilian deaths in Russia, putting the July toll at 79.
However, the UN said it could not independently verify the Russian figures to its required standards because of limited information and lack of access.
