▲ Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a residential building caused by a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 26.
Russian airstrikes on urban areas over the past month have resulted in the highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine in more than four years, according to reports.
On July 15 (local time), AFP and other news outlets reported that the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) stated, "At least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 were injured in Ukraine last month."
This marks the highest monthly figure since April 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion began, indicating that civilian casualties in Ukraine have surged back to levels seen at the beginning of the war.
The civilian damage was found to be most severe in urban centers far from the Russian border.
In response to attacks on its energy facilities, Russia has been concentrating its firepower on urban areas behind the front lines, including the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
While this has led to a series of civilian casualties, Russian authorities deny allegations of targeting civilians, claiming they are aiming at infrastructure near city centers.
In the first half of this year, the number of civilian deaths in Ukraine reached 1,396, a 37% increase compared to the same period last year.
This is more than double the figure recorded in the first half of 2024.
In Russia, 250 civilians were killed in the first half of this year.
This represents a 121% increase compared to last year.
Since the Russian invasion, the number of civilian deaths in Ukraine has been tallied at 16,431, of which 803 were children.
However, the UN added that the actual death toll could be higher, as verification is difficult in some Russian-occupied territories.
According to Ukrainian regional authorities, three civilians were killed in the Black Sea port city of Odesa today due to a Russian attack.
This marks the second consecutive day of damage, following the death of two people and damage to a Marshall Islands-flagged civilian vessel the previous day.
At least three people were also killed in the northern Sumy region.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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