UN: 2025 was the deadliest year for Ukraine's civilian population
A total of 2,514 civilians were killed in Ukraine and a further 12,142 people were injured in Russian attacks throughout 2025.
The death toll last year was almost one-third higher (31%) than in 2024 and represents the highest number of civilian deaths since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Source: monthly report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) on civilian harm
Details: Experts found that the overwhelming majority (97%) of confirmed deaths caused by Russian attacks occurred in territory controlled by Ukraine. HRMMU believes that the increase in civilian casualties was driven by intensified hostilities along the front line and Russia's expanded use of long-range weapons.
The Mission noted that 63% of civilian deaths in Ukraine in 2025 occurred in frontline areas. Increased attempts by Russian forces to seize territory led to the killing and injury of civilians, the destruction of vital infrastructure, the disruption of essential services, and new waves of displacement.
Although older people make up only 25% of Ukraine's population, they have been particularly affected by Russia's war, as they account for a significant share of those still living in frontline settlements.
In 2025, the number of casualties caused by Russia's use of short-range drones in Ukraine increased by 120% compared with the previous year. These attacks killed 577 civilians and injured more than 3,000 others.
"The expanded use of short-range drones has rendered many areas near the frontline effectively uninhabitable.
As essential services shut down and infrastructure is destroyed, it has become too dangerous in some communities even to provide emergency medical care or evacuate civilians. In 2025, many people who had endured years of hostilities were ultimately compelled to leave their homes," said HRMMU Head Danielle Bell.
The UN also recorded a significant increase in Russia's use of long-range weapons from June 2025 onwards. A total of 682 people were killed and nearly 4,500 were injured as a result of such attacks across the country – figures that are 65% higher than in 2024.
Russia's deadliest strike was an attack on the city of Ternopil on 19 November. At least 38 people, including eight children, were killed when a missile hit a multi-storey residential building. At least 99 residents were injured, including 17 children.
That day, ten families lost at least two family members each, the UN found.
On 31 July in Kyiv, the largest number of people were killed in a single Russian attack since the start of the full-scale invasion. A large-scale attack claimed the lives of 32 civilians, including five children, while another 170 Kyiv residents were injured.
The UN noted that in October 2025 Russia resumed large-scale coordinated strikes on energy facilities. Odesa Oblast was among the areas most affected by such attacks in December.
"The sharp increase in long-range attacks and the targeting of Ukraine's national energy infrastructure mean that the consequences of the war are now felt by civilians far beyond the frontline.
With temperatures now down to minus 15 degrees Celsius, disruptions to electricity, water and heating are placing civilians across the country at heightened risk," HRMMU said.
Background: Meanwhile, Russia claimed that in 2025, 253 civilians were killed and 1,872 injured in Russia as a result of attacks by Ukraine's defence forces. However, the UN said it was unable to verify these figures.
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