Ukraine Civilian Casualties Surge in July 2023: UN Reports on Russian Attacks
UN Report Highlights Rising Civilian Casualties Amid Russian Missile and Drone Strikes
By Aleksandar Vasovic
Aug 14 (Reuters) - Civilian casualties from the war in Ukraine rose by nearly a third month-on-month in July, to the highest level since May 2022, as Russia struck towns and cities far from the battlefield with missiles and drones, the U.N. said on Friday.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a report that it had confirmed at least 437 civilians killed and 2,610 injured in July, a 30% rise from June and a 70% jump from the same month last year.
Long-range weapons, such as missiles and drones, remained the leading cause of civilian deaths last month, accounting for 38% of the total.
"Most casualties from these weapons occurred far from the frontline in urban centres," the U.N. report said.
Ballistic Missile and Drone Attacks
Increase in Ballistic Missile Strikes
BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACKS
In recent months, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine with ballistic missiles, which due to their speed and steep trajectory are much harder to intercept than drones or cruise missiles.
Ukraine has a chronic lack of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors needed to defend against these attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urgently appealed to Washington this week for more supplies.
Impact of Glide Bombs and Aerial Bombardments
Russian glide bombs – an air-launched guided munition – became the second-largest cause of death. Civilian casualties from aerial bombardments increased by 143% month-on-month in July to 105 killed and 753 wounded.
Short-Range Drone Strikes Near the Frontline
The U.N. also noted a rise in the number of deaths from short-range drones near the frontline, which killed 111 people and wounded 710 in July, the highest monthly level since the war began in February 2022.
Residents in cities close to the battlefield – such as Kherson – have coined the term "safari" to refer to Russian drones "hunting down" civilians and vehicles in the streets.
Regional Impact and Civilian Demographics
Hardest-Hit Cities
Overall, Kyiv was the hardest-hit city, with a total of 54 civilians killed in July, followed by Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the U.N. said.
Child Casualties
"The number of child casualties (17 killed; 166 injured) was the highest since April 2022," the report stated.
Casualties in Occupied Territories
The figures also included 25 civilians killed and 50 wounded in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia, the U.N. said. Due to increasingly limited publicly available information – the actual figure was probably significantly higher, it noted.
Broader Context and Ongoing Conflict
Denials and Overall Death Toll
Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.
More than 16,000 civilians have been killed in nearly four-and-a-half years of fighting, according to the United Nations, the overwhelming majority of them Ukrainian.
Ukrainian Strikes Inside Russia
Ukraine is also increasingly attacking Russia with drones and long-range missiles, some of which have caused civilian casualties, Russian authorities say.
On Monday, authorities said that a Ukrainian drone strike in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk killed at least 13 people.
Independent Estimates
The Conflict Intelligence Team, an independent group that tracks the war, estimated that a total of 634 civilians were killed in July on both sides of the frontline. Reuters was not able to verify that figure independently.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Alex Richardson)
