Ukraine Sees Surge in Civilian Deaths in 2025 Amid Intensified Conflicts, UN Reports

United Nations monitors reported that the number of civilian fatalities in Ukraine during 2025 was higher than in any other year apart from 2022, as fighting intensified along the front lines and Russia increased its deployment of long-range weaponry, according to a statement from the UN’s leading human rights organization on Monday.

This information emerges amid stalled diplomatic efforts led by the United States to bring the conflict to a close, with Russia recently dismissing a proposed blueprint that would involve the deployment of European soldiers in Ukraine post-conflict.

The report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) indicated that civilian casualties in Ukraine for 2025 totaled at least 2,514 fatalities and 12,142 injuries, marking a 31% rise from the previous year.

Danielle Bell, the head of the OHCHR’s monitoring mission in Ukraine, stated in a press release accompanying the report that this increase was due not only to escalated conflict along the borders, but also to the broader application of long-range weapons, which significantly endangered civilians nationwide.

There is currently no accurate count of the total civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

While the UN has verified nearly 15,000 civilian fatalities, the report noted that the «true extent of civilian suffering is likely much higher,» given that many incidents cannot be independently confirmed and access to areas under Russian control is restricted.

Among these locations is Mariupol, a port city where it is believed that thousands perished during an extensive siege by Russian forces at the onset of the conflict.

According to an analysis by AFP based on data from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, Russia’s military advances in Ukraine last year were also more substantial than in any other year except 2022, as the Kremlin took advantage of Ukrainian troops being outmatched and overextended.