The United Nations has recorded the highest number of civilians killed and wounded in a single month in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 274 people killed and a further 1,763 injured in May, according to a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR).
This represents an increase of 93% compared to May 2025, when 191 deaths and 865 injuries were recorded, the report issued on Friday said.
Rocket and drone strikes accounted for 45% of casualties, mostly in cities far from the front line such as Kiev and Dnipro.
Near the front, short-range drones were the main cause of civilian casualties: More people were killed (64) and injured (539) by drones in a single month in May than at any point since the war began.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion with Western support for more than four years.
According to the United Nations, more than 16,000 civilians have been killed and more than 46,000 injured since the war began in February 2022.
Due to lack of access to Russian-occupied territories, not all casualties are captured in UN statistics.
