Recent Russian attacks targeting urban areas in Ukraine have led to a sharp increase in civilian casualties.
According to a statement released by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission on August 13, at least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine during July.
This marks a 30% increase in civilian casualties compared to the previous month and a 70% rise from the same month last year. The number of fatalities is the highest since May 2022, the UN reported. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a total of 16,874 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
In response to Ukraine's concentrated attacks on Russian energy facilities, Russia has intensified its firepower in urban areas, including the capital, Kyiv. Recently, it has targeted cities like Kyiv with ballistic missiles, exploiting gaps in Ukraine's air defense systems. The UN noted that at least 54 people were killed in Kyiv last month, making it one of the hardest-hit cities.
Russian authorities deny allegations of targeting civilians, claiming their strikes are aimed at infrastructure near urban centers.
On the same day, two people were killed in the Odesa region when a passenger train was struck by a Russian attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces destroyed a passenger train carrying 340 people with a jet-propelled drone, asserting that the drone operator must have known it was a civilian train.
Additionally, the UN reported that from January to July this year, a total of 12,477 civilians have been killed or injured in Ukraine due to the war. This includes 1,839 deaths and 10,638 injuries, representing a 44% increase in total casualties compared to the same period last year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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