(Russian attacks. Photo by News Express)
June ranked as the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday, highlighting the severe toll of Russia’s escalating strikes on cities located far from the front lines.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported that at least 293 Ukrainian civilians lost their lives in June, bringing the total civilian death toll for the year so far to nearly 1,400 a figure 37% higher than the corresponding period last year, and more than double what was recorded during the same stretch in 2024.
Danielle Bell, who heads the HRMMU, said the figures from June point to “an alarming escalatory trend with mounting civilian toll, driven by the intensifying use of powerful weapons that are particularly deadly when used in densely populated urban areas.”
According to the HRMMU, the surge was primarily fuelled by long-range Russian missile strikes on residential buildings in cities such as Dnipro, Odesa, and the capital, Kyiv.
The UN noted that civilian casualties resulting from long-range weapons climbed by 60% between January and June, compared with the same period in 2025.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly spoken about the difficulties they face in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, appealing to European partners for support in strengthening missile defence capabilities while actively lobbying Washington for approval to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles, which are capable of neutralising Moscow’s ballistic weapons.
Meanwhile, in areas nearest the front line, short-range drones have accounted for most civilian deaths and injuries recorded in 2026, the UN said.
Bell noted that these drones have “transformed the environment” for civilians residing close to the front line.
“Many describe feeling hunted by short-range drones simply for attempting everyday tasks such as shopping for food, walking dogs, cycling, working in the yard or traveling to safety,” she said.
The human cost of Russia’s sustained offensive continues to be deeply felt across Ukraine.
Based on figures compiled from local authorities, a CNN count found that attacks during the first half of July alone had killed at least 240 civilians and injured 1,904 others.
On July 2, a particularly intense Russian strike on Kyiv killed at least 30 people, among them a family of six.
In a Facebook post, family friend Alla Melnychuk paid tribute to the victims, including a son named Nikita, who had previously survived childhood cancer.
“He was only 23 years old,” Melnychuk wrote. “He was supposed to get married in a few days. He had his whole life ahead of him. Dreams. Family. A future.”
She added that the family “weren’t just acquaintances. They were people with whom a part of our lives was intertwined.”
