More than 17,000 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion, UN says
More than 17,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 54,000 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, according to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.
Commission Chair Erik Møse presented the figures during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Civilian casualties have increased by 55% compared with last year, Møse said, primarily due to intensified Russian long-range attacks on residential areas and populated places.
Civilian casualties from drone attacks near the front line have also risen.
“Russian media channels continue to publish videos and texts indicating the deliberate targeting of civilians with drones and even boasting about it,” Møse said.
The commission previously concluded in its 2025 report that systematic Russian drone attacks along the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the Dnipro River amounted to crimes against humanity.
The attacks were carried out “with the purpose of spreading terror among the civilian population,” the commission found, describing them as a violation of international humanitarian law.