April 2025 became the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since September 2024, with at least 209 deaths and 1,146 injuries confirmed by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), according to a report released on 8 May.
“Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv suffered devastating bombardments that led to numerous civilian deaths and injuries,” said Danielle Bell, head of the HRMMU.
The mission identified ballistic missile strikes on major Ukrainian cities as the primary cause of the dramatic increase in casualties. These attacks often occurred in places and times where many families gathered outdoors, resulting in a high number of child casualties.
“In April, at least 19 children were killed and 78 injured, which is the highest confirmed monthly figure of child casualties since June 2022,” the UN mission reported.
The report stated that 97% of all victims were civilians in government-controlled areas of Ukraine. Nearly half suffered from missile strikes and shelling by Russian armed forces.
Several devastating attacks occurred throughout April. A ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih on 4 April killed 20 civilians and injured at least 63 others. On Palm Sunday, 13 April, two missiles hit Sumy, killing at least 31 civilians and injuring 105. On 18 April, a missile strike on Kharkiv killed one person and injured at least 102. On 24 April, attacks using missiles and loitering munitions in Kyiv resulted in at least 11 civilian deaths and 81 injuries.
“The gradual and constant increase in civilian casualties throughout this year is directly linked to the use of long-range missiles and drones in urban areas,” Bell said.
Small-radius drone attacks in frontline areas caused 23% of all civilian casualties in April. While most such incidents were recorded in Kherson Oblast, one of the largest attacks occurred on 23 April in Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where a drone struck a bus carrying mining company workers. At least nine people died, including eight women, and 58 were injured.
According to the HRMMU, the April casualty figures reflect a broader trend in 2025 of increasing harm to civilians. From January through April 2025, 664 civilians were killed and 3,425 injured, representing a 59% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The UN mission noted that similar attacks on major Ukrainian cities continued into May, with new missile and loitering munition strikes recorded in Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, again resulting in civilian casualties.
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