Long-range Russian weapons killed and injured more civilians in Ukraine than other weapon types

The new  report of the  UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine  informs about the increase in the number of civilian victims of Russian strikes in six months (December 2025 - May 2026)

Between 1 December 2025 and 31 May 2026, hostilities killed at least 1,272 civilians and injured 6,871 in Ukraine, a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period 12 months earlier.

Among those killed were 812 men, 423 women and 37 children (23 boys and 14 girls).

Also among the casualties were 82 medical workers and 41 emergency service personnel.

Casualties were documented in 24 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.

Ninety-six per cent of the  civilians in Ukraine occurred in territory controlled by the government (1,166 killed and 6,679 injured) - .

Russian long-range weapons (missiles and drones) killed and injured more civilians than other weapon types. For example, over a 24-hour period from 13 to 14 May, Russian armed forces launched 1,428 loitering munitions and 56 missiles across Ukraine. The attack killed 27 civilians (14 men, 10 women and 3 girls) and injured at least 83  in 8 regions and Kyiv city.

Four per cent of the casualties occurred in territory occupied by the Russian Federation (106 killed and 192 injured). F

or example, in the late hours of 31 December 2025, drones struck a café and a hotel in the occupied village of Khorly, Kherson region. 29 people died, 31 were injured.  Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified that at least 18 of those killed and injured were civilians . Several of those killed and injured  occupied official positions in the civilian administration in occupied territory. Occupying such civilian positions does not render an individual a legitimate target under international humanitarian law.

Russian authorities reported that at least 205 civilians were killed and 1,302 injured in attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces in 27 regions of the Russian Federation. OHCHR has established the identity of some of them; however, OHCHR has not been able to verify the circumstances of the incidents due to lack of access and limited publicly available information.

Frontline communities

Short-range drones were the second leading cause of civilian casualties in the reporting period.

In December 2025, January and March 2026, short-range drones killed more civilians than any other weapon type in Ukraine. In total, short-range drones killed 385 civilians and injured 2,100, a 57 per cent increase from the same period 12 months earlier.

In Government-controlled territory of Ukraine, short-range drones killed at least 343 civilians and injured 1,975 in the reporting period. For example, on 4 April, in the frontline city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, a morning attack on a local market involving short-range drones killed five civilians and injured 26, including a 14-year-old girl. Three days later, on 7 April, a short-range drone attack on a bus killed four civilians and injured 17.

Short-range drones on occupied  from Russia territory killed at least 42 civilians and injured 125.

Attacks on humanitarian vehicles and facilities

In at least 20 incidents in the reporting period, short-range drones were used to attack clearly marked humanitarian vehicles and facilities, all of them in territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine. The attacks killed 3 and injured 10 humanitarian workers. Most of the verified attacks took place during efforts to evacuate civilians from frontline communities.

Under international humanitarian law, humanitarian relief personnel and objects are protected against attack.

On 20 March 2026, a short-range drone struck a visibly identifiable humanitarian vehicle of the organization Proliska in Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, killing two women evacuees (aged 83 and 63) and injuring two other evacuees ( aged 65 and66)/

In another case, a short-range drone killed two  volunteers in Kozacha Lopan, Kharkiv region, on 22 January. The volunteers were delivering bread to local residents.

On 13 May 2026, a short-range drone attacked a clearly marked truck from the UN World Food Programme delivering food to frontline communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The drone attacks on humanitarian workers forced humanitarian organizations to scale back  or adjust operations in settlements located near the frontlines. Local authorities and NGOs reported to OHCHR that evacuations and humanitarian assistance had been reduced or suspended in some locations, or the modality of delivery had to be changed to avoid civilians gathering.

Displacement and evacuation of civilians

From 1 December 2025 to 31 May 2026, over 60,000 civilians passed through transit centres as they were leaving frontline areas.  The majority left from frontline areas the Donetsk region, followed by Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. About 38 per cent of evacuees were over the age of 60.  Many of those who decided to leave frontline communities told OHCHR that   increased threat of drones was one of the main reasons for their decision to leave.

Unknown victims of the Russian invasion

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, from February 24, 2022 to May 2026, at least 15,850 civilians were confirmed dead in Ukraine, including more than 790 children.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine reports that more than 17,400 civilians have been killed and more than 43,000 injured.

The real number of victims is much higher, as verification of data from temporarily occupied territories and areas of intense fighting is difficult.

Both sides emphasize that these figures are only confirmed cases. The real number of victims may be much higher, as verification of data from temporarily occupied territories and areas of intense fighting is difficult.

Еhere is currently no accurate confirmed data on victims in the destroyed Mariupol.

Russia does not publish official data on the total number of civilian deaths in the occupied city.

\ Sources: UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine