UN reports highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years
Since the beginning of the year, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine as a result of Russian shelling has reached its highest level in the last three years.
This was stated by Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and North and South America, during a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, according to Ukrinform's correspondent in New York.
Over the past month, the daily shelling of Ukrainian cities and villages with missiles and drones by the Russian Federation has only intensified, causing catastrophic damage to the civilian population, Jenča said, emphasizing the severity of the situation.
According to him, in June, the number of civilian casualties reached a three-year high. In the first half of 2025 alone, 6,754 people were killed and wounded.
Jenča also noted that in July alone, Russia fired at least 5,183 long-range munitions at Ukraine, including a record 728 drones on July 9.
The UN representative noted that in recent weeks, Kyiv and the historic port city of Odesa have been under particularly heavy attack, with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles striking every day.
He noted that “there is no safe place in Ukraine right now” because Russia is shelling western regions, which have suffered the most extensive air strikes since the start of the full-scale war.
According to UN data, at least 13,580 civilians, including 716 children, have been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and another 34,115 civilians, including 2,173 children, have been injured.
Jenča emphasized that international law clearly prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and strongly condemned all such attacks.
At the same time, according to Jenča, the UN is also concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Russia, but is unable to independently verify the data provided by the Russian authorities.
As reported by Ukrinform, on Friday, the UN Security Council met to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ukraine in connection with the intensification of Russian shelling.
Photo: Video screenshot