The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine verified 2,514 civilian deaths and 12,142 injuries in 2025, marking the deadliest year for civilians since the 2022 invasion. More than one‑third of victims were struck far from front lines as Russia expanded long‑range drone and missile strikes. A single night of attacks involved 242 drones, 14 ballistic missiles and 22 cruise missiles, damaging energy infrastructure and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. The UN warns the real toll is likely higher due to access and verification limits.
UN: 2,514 Ukrainian Civilians Killed In 2025 As Long‑Range Strikes Reach Far From Front Lines
A woman cries at a playground outside an apartment block where a Russian missile killed 20 people, including nine children, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on April 9, 2025. - Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
The United Nations reported on Monday that 2025 was the deadliest year yet for Ukrainian civilians since Russia’s full‑scale invasion began in February 2022. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine verified that 2,514 civilians were killed and 12,142 were injured in conflict‑related violence during 2025, with the vast majority of casualties attributed to attacks by Russian forces on areas held by Ukraine.
Long‑Range Attacks Put Civilians Across the Country at Risk
The UN report emphasizes that no part of Ukraine can be considered safe: more than one‑third of those killed or wounded were located far from active front lines when they were struck. Russia sharply intensified aerial campaigns in 2025, mounting repeated large‑scale drone and missile strikes that targeted civilian populations and critical infrastructure.
Single Night Assaults and Energy Infrastructure Damage
In one of the attacks documented by the UN, Russian forces launched 242 drones, 14 ballistic missiles and 22 cruise missiles in a single night against multiple Ukrainian cities. Those strikes hit civilian energy systems, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and heating during the winter months.
“This rise was driven not only by intensified hostilities along the frontline, but also by the expanded use of long‑range weapons, which exposed civilians across the country to heightened risk,”
— Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Deadliest Recorded Incident and Overall Toll
The report records the deadliest single strike as occurring in the western city of Ternopil on November 19, when at least 38 civilians, including eight children, were killed and 99 people, including 17 children, were injured. The UN noted that 10 families lost two or more members in that attack.
Documented civilian casualties in 2025 represented a 31% increase compared with 2024 and were 70% higher than in 2023. Since the full‑scale invasion began in February 2022, the UN has confirmed more than 14,900 civilian deaths based on verifiable reports.
Limits To The Count
The United Nations cautioned that the true toll is likely higher. Many casualty reports remain pending corroboration, and investigators continue to have no access to occupied areas and limited access to zones close to active front lines, which constrains full verification.
The UN monitoring mission’s findings underline the humanitarian consequences of long‑range weapons and the growing vulnerability of civilians across Ukraine, not only in frontline areas but deep inside government‑controlled territory.
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