UN: July civilian deaths in Ukraine highest since 2022
Al Jazeera Staff
The UN reported that civilian deaths in Ukraine in July were the highest since the early months of Russia's 2022 invasion, with at least 437 killed and 2,610 injured. This marks a 30% increase from the previous month and a 70% jump compared to July 2025. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy renewed calls for advanced air defense systems amid escalating Russian drone and missile attacks.
The United Nations has reported that civilian deaths in Ukraine in July reached their highest level since the early months of Russia's 2022 invasion. According to a statement from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, at least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 were injured in July, a 30% increase from the previous month and a 70% increase from July 2025.
The UN said it has verified the deaths of 16,874 civilians since Russia's invasion, but warned that the figure could be significantly understated because it has been unable to confirm casualties in Ukrainian areas occupied by Russian forces. This figure includes the port city of Mariupol, which was besieged by Russia early in the war and is believed to have seen thousands of deaths.
At least 54 civilians were killed in Kyiv in the past month, which the UN described as one of the hardest-hit cities. On the Russian side, authorities reported an increase in civilian deaths to 79 in July.
In a related development, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), that a Russian military official was killed in an explosion in Crimea, a territory annexed by Russia. On the same day, a Russian drone struck a passenger train in the Odesa region of southern Ukraine, killing two crew members, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of continuing its campaign of "terror" in attacking the train, which he said was carrying 340 people. "Anyone who operated that drone certainly could not have been unaware that the target was purely civilian," Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X.
While the two crew members were killed, including the train driver, no passengers were injured, according to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the head of the state railway operator. Video released by Ukraine's emergency service showed a large fire in the train cabin, with the front of the train blown off and mangled.
Russian forces have repeatedly attacked trains throughout the war, which Kyiv says aims to disrupt logistics and strike civilians. Zelenskyy said Russia also launched over 130 drones at 11 Ukrainian regions overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning. The Russian strikes damaged some businesses in Chernihiv, according to the Ukrainian state news agency.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had also taken control of the village of Petrivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy has called on allies to provide more advanced air defense systems, particularly US-made Patriots, to counter Russia's increasing attacks of ultra-fast ballistic missiles. He reiterated this call on Thursday, saying "more air defense support and stronger pressure on Russia are needed if the world is serious about ending this war in Europe."
On the Russian side, Ukrainian forces said on Thursday they attacked an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in the Republic of Bashkortostan, causing fires. Ukraine said the complex supplies the Russian military and pledged to continue striking "key enemy targets." Ukraine has stepped up long-range attacks on Russia in recent months, justifying them as retaliatory strikes aimed at destroying Moscow's war machine and reducing its critical energy revenues.
