More civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine last month than in any other month in the past four years, according to the latest monthly report from UN human rights investigators. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) verified that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 were injured last month.
“With more than 2,000 civilian casualties, the month of May saw more civilian casualties than any other month since April 2022,” said Danielle Bell, head of HRMMU.
“The intensification of hostilities and increased use of powerful weapons in urban areas led to high numbers of civilians killed and injured across the country.”
In previous years, the number of casualties steadily climbed from spring to summer. So far in 2026, casualty figures have followed the same pattern but at a significantly higher level than in previous years.
According to the UN monitors, Russia's use of powerful weapons in urban areas was the main reason for the high number of casualties in May. Attacks involving missiles and aerial bombs killed and injured dozens of civilians in urban areas on multiple occasions.
For example, on May 5, an attack with aerial bombs on an industrial area in Zaporizhzhia killed 12 civilians and injured 42. On May 14, a missile struck an apartment building in Kyiv, killing 24 civilians and injuring at least seven.
“The civilian harm we documented was not limited to communities near the frontline. In cities across Ukraine, repeated attacks with missiles and aerial bombs killed and injured civilians far from areas of active ground combat,” Bell added.
According to the UN report, civilians were killed or injured in 20 Ukrainian regions and the city of Kyiv. The highest numbers of casualties occurred in Kyiv (26 killed and 102 injured), Zaporizhzhia (15 killed and 91 injured), Kherson (14 killed and 221 injured), and Dnipro (8 killed and 83 injured).
While the vast majority of casualties in May occurred in Ukrainian-controlled territory, the human rights monitors verified that civilians were also killed and injured in Russian-occupied territory. In one such case, 21 civilians were killed and others were injured when one or more weapons struck an educational complex in occupied Starobilsk in the Luhansk region during the night of May 21–22.
Near the frontline, attacks with short-range drones were the primary cause of civilian casualties. Short-range drones killed at least 64 civilians and injured 539 in May, making it the deadliest month since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
In addition to the number of verified civilian casualties in Ukraine, including in Russian-occupied territory, Russian authorities reported that 47 civilians were killed and 298 were injured in May in Russia.
HRMMU systematically collects and analyzes publicly available information on civilian casualties, but it cannot regularly verify civilian casualties in Russia due to the limited number of independent information sources there.
UN relief official: Civilian suffering becomes the new normal in Ukraine
Earlier this week, Indrika Ratwatte, the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
“The scale and intensity of the attacks on major centres is increasing. Strikes have hit cities including Dnipro and Kyiv, bringing the war further into populated urban areas,” Ratwatte said.
He warned that along the front line, attacks “force families to make impossible choices: stay and risk He warned that along the front line, attacks force families to make impossible choices: stay and risk your life, or leave everything behind.
Ratwatte stressed that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate amid escalating hostilities. He noted that recent attacks on urban areas, including Kyiv and Dnipro, have caused rising civilian casualties, damage to homes and essential services, and growing risks for humanitarian workers.
Ratwatte emphasized that "civilians and civilian objects, including humanitarian personnel and assets, must be protected," as ongoing strikes on populated areas and damage to civilian infrastructure exacerbate human suffering.
He said that attacks are increasingly disrupting humanitarian operations, leaving communities more isolated and cutting off access to life-saving services at a time when needs are intensifying.
Ratwatte called on the Council to take three urgent steps: reverse the erosion of civilian protection, safeguard and expand humanitarian access to reach people in need, and ensure sufficient funding for the response.
“The war continues to cause deep suffering for millions of people across Ukraine. But suffering must be reduced. Civilians must be protected. And lives must be saved,” he said.
“We urge all those with influence: please use it.”
One of the world's largest humanitarian crises
Ukraine remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with 10.8 million people in need of assistance. Yet, to date, aid agencies have received less than half of the necessary funding to assist them.
“We recognize the enormous pressures on humanitarian budgets as crises continue to emerge and deepen around the world,” Ratwatte said.
“But needs in Ukraine have not diminished.”
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, more and more Ukrainians are being killed, wounded, and traumatized by the violence. The civilian infrastructure on which they depend is being destroyed or damaged. Serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law have become widespread in the ongoing armed assault, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Since February 2022, the UN has documented the deaths and injuries of over 62,700 Ukrainian civilians. From February 2022 to May 2026, more than 16,100 civilians, including hundreds of children, were killed in Ukraine, and more than 46,500 people were injured.
As these are UN-verified figures, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher. According to human rights monitors, many reports, particularly from certain locations and from the immediate aftermath of February 24, 2022, are still being verified due to the large volume of reports. Others could not be verified due to a lack of access.
Some 10 million people have been forced to flee, including nearly 4 million internally displaced people and at least 5.9 million refugees worldwide. However, the actual number of displaced Ukrainians may be much higher, as these numbers do not fully reflect those who have fled to or been forcibly transferred to Russia.
Further information
Full text: Ukraine: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — May 2026, UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), report, published June 12, 2026
https://ukraine.un.org/en/317240-protection-civilians-armed-conflict-%E2%80%94-may-2026