UN: Civilian Casualties in Ukraine Rise by 37 Percent

Video-Goggle Drones as a New Threat

"Especially striking has been the increase in attacks using drones controlled through video goggles," Bell said. This type of attack killed or injured 2,800 people in the first half of the year – 65 percent more than the previous year. Video-goggle-controlled drones are considered particularly difficult to detect and counter because they do not require classical radio remote control.

The economic consequences for the civilian population are also significant. Bell reported that in the Kuschuhum region, only three to five hectares of agricultural land are now harvested per day, compared to 30 hectares previously. Farmers fear being attacked by drones while working in the fields. "In many border areas, activities such as going to the market, walking the dog, or watering gardens and fields have become life-threatening," Bell explained.

Impact on Daily Life

According to Bell, police in several cities are now training specialists to protect farmers and infrastructure workers from drone attacks. This includes shooting down or diverting the drones. These measures are showing initial results but remain insufficient given the volume of attacks.

At the same time, the UN Human Rights Office also examined civilian casualties from Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. According to publicly available information, 250 people were killed and nearly 1,600 injured in such attacks. This represents an increase of 121 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Among other things, Al-Kheetan commented on Ukrainian drone attacks on logistics centers of the private company Wildberries, including in the Moscow region.

Civilian Casualties on Russian Territory as Well

The UN Human Rights Office emphasized that it has no access to Russian state territory and therefore relies solely on publicly available information. Only independently verified reports of deaths and injuries are included in the statistics. This methodology differs from that used in documenting Ukrainian casualties.

The total number of civilian casualties from attacks by both sides in the first six months of the year is nearly double that of the comparable period in 2024. The UN Human Rights Office called on both parties to the conflict to abide by the rules of international humanitarian law and to refrain from attacks on civilian targets.