Civilian casualties in Ukraine increased by 26 per cent in 2025 as missile and drone attacks intensified, according to conflict monitor AOAV
Civilian casualties caused by bombing in Ukraine increased by 26 per cent during 2025, reflecting intensified Russian targeting of cities and infrastructure, according to the global monitoring group Action on Armed Violence (AOAV).
AOAV reported that 2,248 civilians were killed and 12,493 injured by explosive violence in
Ukraine, based on English-language media accounts. The average number of civilians killed or injured per strike rose to 4.8, marking a 33 per cent increase compared with 2024.
The deadliest single attack occurred in Dnipro on 24 June, when
Russian missiles struck a passenger train, residential buildings and schools. The attack killed 21 people and injured 314, including 38 children.
Concerns over erosion of restraint
Iain Overton, executive director of AOAV, said the findings showed “Ukraine fits a wider collapse of restraint that is now visible across multiple wars”, adding that respect for the principle of proportionality in warfare “has broken”.
International law prohibits deliberately targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure in a manner excessive to direct military advantage, classifying such acts as war crimes. Analysts have warned that the principle of proportionality is under strain across conflicts, including Gaza, Sudan and Congo, as well as Ukraine.
“We have watched this erosion unfold over years, from Homs to Aleppo to Mariupol and on to Gaza. What seems different now is the sense that there is no longer a functioning international rules-based order capable of ever holding those responsible to account,” Overton argued.
Sustained missile and drone attacks
Missile and drone strikes took place almost nightly across Ukraine throughout 2025 and continued into 2026, leaving millions with limited or no access to electricity, heating and water.
On the night of September 9, Ukraine faced the largest air raid recorded in the war, with 805 drones and 13 missiles launched at targets across the country.
AOAV compiles its data from English-language reports of explosive violence worldwide. While the methodology is consistent, the organisation acknowledges that it undercounts the true number of casualties, as media coverage in a single language cannot capture all incidents.
Global casualty trends
Globally, civilian casualties from explosive violence fell by 26 per cent in 2025 from a 10-year high recorded in 2024, largely due to the October ceasefire in Gaza, previously described as the most deadly and dangerous conflict for civilians.
AOAV recorded 14,024 civilian casualties in Gaza during 2025, a 40 per cent decline from the previous year.
At the end of last month, Israel’s military indicated it accepted that casualty figures compiled by authorities in Gaza were broadly accurate. A security official acknowledged that 70,000 Palestinians had been killed since October 2023, aligning with the Gaza health ministry’s total of 72,061 killed and 171,715 injured.
During 2025, the health ministry recorded 25,718 Palestinians killed and 62,854 injured, underscoring that English-language reporting monitored by AOAV represents an undercount of actual figures.
Worldwide figures and conflict breakdown
According to AOAV, 45,358 civilian casualties were recorded worldwide in 2025, compared with 61,353 the year before. These figures comprised 17,589 civilians reported killed and 27,769 injured by explosive violence.
Israel was recorded as the country responsible for the highest number of civilians killed and injured by explosive violence, marginally ahead of Russia. Israel accounted for 35 per cent of all reported casualties, while Russia accounted for 32 per cent.
Wars in Sudan and Myanmar followed, with 5,438 and 3,178 recorded civilian casualties, respectively.
“Across Ukraine, Myanmar, Gaza and Sudan, the message is the same,” Overton said. “When impunity becomes normalised, war crimes stop being shocking exceptions and begin to resemble a method of warfare.”
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