15,850 civilians, including 791 children, have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 15,850 civilians in Ukraine, including 791 children, have been confirmed dead since February 2022, and another 2,752 children have been injured, said Kayoko Goto, a representative of the UN Department of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding.

“Since February 2022, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has confirmed that at least 15,850 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, including 791 children. Another 44,809 people, including 2,752 children, have been injured. The actual figures are likely to be significantly higher,” she told the UN Security Council on May 19.

Goto recalled that in April, at least 238 civilians were killed and 1,404 were injured in Ukraine, the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since July 2025.

“This also reflects a continuing trend of increasing harm to civilians,” the UN added.

She confirmed that the past week, from 11 to 17 May, saw one of the largest aerial bombardments of Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. On 13-14 May, the Russian Federation reportedly launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles targeting Ukrainian cities across the country.

Goto also stressed that last week, United Nations personnel in Ukraine were involved in two disturbing drone-related incidents. On 14 May, a UN vehicle was attacked twice in Kherson.

“The clearly marked vehicle was part of an inter-agency humanitarian mission led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The party was notified of the mission in advance. This follows an incident on 12 May when another clearly marked UN vehicle, which was part of a World Food Programme humanitarian convoy, was reportedly attacked by a remote-controlled drone,” the spokeswoman said. She stressed that international law, including international humanitarian law, must be respected at all times and civilians, including humanitarian personnel, as well as civilian objects, must be protected.