The beginning of 2025 was marked not only by the escalation of hostilities, but also by a dramatic deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Data from the United Nations, announced in the Security Council, confirm an alarming trend: in the first quarter of 2025, the death rate among the civilian population increased by 59% compared to the same period in 2024. This is evidence not only of the intensity of attacks, but also of changes in the nature of war, which is increasingly affecting the civilian population.
A systemic attack on civilian infrastructure
As noted by UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding Rosemary Dicarlo, the general security situation in Ukraine has significantly worsened. Russia continues to target civilian infrastructure, and this has become the main reason for the increase in the number of deaths and injuries among the civilian population. Of particular concern is the use of ballistic missiles against densely populated areas of large cities, which, according to Dicarlo, is a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
Attacks on civilians are prohibited by international law, regardless of the location of hostilities. But it is the civilian population in Ukraine that is bearing more and more losses. This trend, which has been formed since the second half of 2024, will take on catastrophic proportions in 2025.
Thousands of victims, including hundreds of children
According to official statistics released by the UN, at least 13,279 civilians have died in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. 707 of them are children. These data are confirmed only by verified methods, and the real figures may be much higher due to limited access to the temporarily occupied territories and the zone of active hostilities.
The number of wounded is 32,449 people, of which 2,068 are children. These injuries often lead to disability or psychological trauma, with long-term humanitarian consequences. Residential buildings, hospitals, schools, power stations and evacuation routes are under heavy fire.
The bloodiest month since the fall of 2024
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine previously reported that April 2025 was the bloodiest month since September last year. The increase in the number of victims was caused by mass ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa and other large cities. Such strikes have large areas of damage, and the number of civilian casualties is increasing even when part of the population is in shelters.
The fact that attacks often take place at night or in the morning, when people are at home or on their way to work, attracts the special attention of international experts. Such actions complicate the evacuation process and reduce the chances of survival even in areas with prepared defense infrastructure.
Humanitarian consequences and challenges
The increase in civilian deaths is not just a number in the reports, but a profound humanitarian tragedy. Hundreds of families are left without loved ones, thousands of children lose their parents, and medical and social services are stretched to the limit. Ukrainian society does not have time to recover from one blow, as a new one arrives.
International humanitarian organizations, including the UN, the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, call on Russia to stop shelling civilian objects. However, the situation on the battlefield and in the diplomatic halls shows that such appeals still remain unanswered.
The death rate among civilians in Ukraine in 2025 reached new tragic heights. A 59% increase in just three months is an indicator not only of the intensity of hostilities, but also of contempt for the basic principles of international law. In conditions where war is increasingly aimed at the destruction of peaceful life, the role of the international community is not only to monitor and record crimes, but to take real steps to stop this humanitarian catastrophe. Ukraine remains a battlefield not only of military armies, but also of values - the right to life, dignity and safety of civilians.
