UN records highest civilian casualty toll in Ukraine in April since September

According to Ukrinform, this is stated in the monthly report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).

“Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv all endured devastating attacks that left dozens killed or injured. One of the main reasons for the sharp rise in civilian casualties was the intensified use of ballistic missiles in major cities across the country,” said Danielle Bell, Head of the HRMMU.

The UN reported at least 209 civilians killed and 1,146 injured in April.

On April 4, a ballistic missile attack in Kryvyi Rih killed 20 civilians and injured at least 63.

A week later, on Palm Sunday (April 13), two missiles hit the city of Sumy, killing at least 31 civilians and injuring 105.

On April 18, a missile attack in Kharkiv killed one person and injured at least 102.

On April 24, an attack with missiles and loitering munitions on Kyiv killed at least 11 civilians and injured 81.

This pattern of attacks on large Ukrainian cities has continued in May.

New missile and loitering munition strikes have been recorded in Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, once again causing civilian casualties.

The HRMMU noted that children have also been significantly affected. In April, at least 19 children were killed and 78 injured, marking the highest monthly verified child casualty toll since June 2022.

Drone strikes in areas near the front line acounted for 23% of all civilian casualties in April.

In total, from January to April 2025, 664 civilians were killed and 3,425 injured, which is a 59% increase over the same period in 2024.

As Ukrinform reported, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine confirmed that from April 1 to 24, at least 848 civilian casualties were recorded due to Russian shelling, with 151 killed and 697 injured.