June 2026 was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the start of the war, with 293 deaths and nearly 2,000 injuries recorded by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission.
The figures published on Tuesday, July 14, by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) are unequivocal: at least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 injured in June 2026, making it the deadliest month recorded since April 2022, when the organization's first comparable data dates back to.
“Following the sharp increase recorded in May, the number of civilian casualties continued to rise, reaching the highest total number of civilians killed and wounded since April 2022,” the HRMMU statement said. Nearly half of the casualties, or 45%, were caused by long-range missiles and drones. These strikes primarily targeted settlements far from the front lines, with Kyiv and Dnipro being the main targets.
Danielle Bell, a representative of the HRMMU, pointed to "the increasingly frequent use of powerful weapons that are particularly deadly when used in densely populated urban areas." She warned that "the risks faced by civilians not only persist, but are worsening in both scope and complexity."
The report also notes a record level of explosive drone attacks along the line of contact since February 24, 2022, with 89 civilians killed and 588 wounded. The systematic use of these devices by both sides has transformed this area into what the UN describes as a "death zone" stretching for dozens of kilometers.
Russia has intensified its strikes in recent weeks, notably using ballistic missiles that Ukrainian defenses are struggling to intercept due to a lack of sufficient anti-aircraft munitions. Faced with this situation, nine European countries announced on Monday the launch of a "purely defensive" coalition aimed at strengthening the continent's anti-ballistic missile capabilities, which Kyiv desperately lacks.
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