War in Ukraine leaves over 15,000 civilians dead or injured in first eight months of 2026, UN reports

The United Nations has verified that more than 15,000 civilians in Ukraine were killed or injured as a result of Russian aggression during the first eight months of 2026.

Source: Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Details: Speaking at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said his Office had verified that 15,280 civilians had been killed or injured during the first eight months of 2026. This amounts to more than 400 people per week on average, 55% more than during the same period in 2025.

Türk stressed that the front line has changed very little, but Russian forces have systematically attacked residential buildings, schools, hospitals, railways and shops.

Nearly 2,500 civilians were killed or injured solely as a result of Russia's use of guided aerial bombs in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia oblasts during the first eight months of this year, 62% more than during the same period in 2025.

"The war in Ukraine is a human rights catastrophe that is growing and intensifying by the week," Türk said.

He also reported a "shocking levels of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war". Of more than 1,000 documented cases, Russia was responsible for 89%. Most victims are men held in detention. Women and children have been victimised predominantly in occupied territories.

"This is just one terrible manifestation of the cruelty that has come to define this war. Alongside peace, there must be accountability," he stressed.

The high commissioner also called Ukraine "a laboratory for drone warfare" and urged the world to stop the bloodshed caused by these weapons.

Among other problems, Türk highlighted the intensification of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and commercial facilities. Strikes on the food industry have already caused shortages of vegetables and dairy products in some regions of Ukraine.

Around 2,000 people remain trapped in the occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, living without food, water, electricity or gas.

He urged the Russian leadership to "consider what this war is doing to their own society", which, he said, "puts death and destruction ahead of healthcare and education".

The high commissioner also expressed concern about the involvement of mercenaries from third countries in the war. Staff from his Office interviewed prisoners of war from 36 countries held by Ukraine, and many said they had been deceived into joining the Russian forces.

Background: In September, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine published a report stating that at least 372 civilians had been killed and another 2,349 injured in Ukraine in August 2026 alone. This month saw the second-highest number of civilian casualties in 2026 after July, when 448 people were killed and more than 2,600 injured.

Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.