UN: Kyiv civilian casualties in first 10M of 2025 nearly quadruple full 2024 total

The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine is growing as Russian armed forces intensify attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of winter, the Russian Federation has significantly increased the use of long-range weapons in 2025, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says.

The HRMMU commented on another large-scale combined attack by the Russian Federation using missiles and long-range drones in the early hours of 25 November, which authorities said killed at least eight civilians and injured at least 34, including four children. This was the seventh attack targeting energy infrastructure in several regions of the country in the past two months.

"Overnight, dozens of civilians were injured and at least eight reportedly killed as families again hunkered in hallways and shelters as explosions continued for hours outside their homes," said Danielle Bell, head of HRMMU. "Millions of people across Ukraine fear for their loved ones each time hundreds of drones and missiles fly overhead, knowing that anyone can be harmed, no matter where they live."

The Russian Federation has significantly increased long-range weapon use in 2025. Several recent large-scale attacks have involved more than 500 missiles and long-range drones deployed within a short period of time, targeting multiple regions, and saturating the airspace over major cities.

Civilian casualties in major cities have spiked with the intensification of such attacks. Last year, from January to October 2024, long-range drones and missiles killed 434 and injured 2,045 civilians. In the same period in 2025, civilian deaths from long-range weapons increased by 26 per cent to 548 and civilian injuries increased by 75 per cent to 3,592. In Kyiv, for example, the number of civilian casualties in just the first ten months of 2025 was nearly four times higher than in the entire year of 2024. Other major urban centers, such as Dnipro and Zaporizhia, also saw significant increases in civilian casualties.

"Beyond the horrific loss of life, civilian homes, buildings and public infrastructure are also destroyed, with reconstruction potentially taking years," reiterated Ms. Bell. "Each new attack further compounds the psychological toll on civilians."

Recent waves of attacks on energy infrastructure have increased the cumulative strain on Ukraine’s energy system. Emergency outages in the aftermath of such attacks add to the already significant rolling blackouts that the population bears daily. Russian attacks on energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine have left the majority of the regions nationwide with severe power shortages, as winter approaches and temperatures begin to drop.