In May, the highest monthly indicator of the number of victims among the civilian population of Ukraine was recorded

This UN indicator has been set since June 2023.

The number of civilians killed as a result of full-scale Russian aggression in May increased by 31% compared to the previous month, which is mostly due to the escalation of hostilities in the Kharkiv region.

This is evidenced by the data of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

“At least 174 civilians were killed and 690 wounded in Ukraine in May, the highest monthly number of civilian casualties recorded by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine since June 2023. The number of civilians killed increased by 31% compared to April 2024,” said a message on the website of the UN mission in Ukraine on Friday.

It is reported that the increase in civilian casualties was mostly due to shelling in the Kharkiv region, which intensified since May 10 in connection with the “ground offensive of the Russian armed forces by the Russian Federation on the Kharkiv region.” It is noted that attacks in the Kharkiv region accounted for 53% of the total civilian casualties in May.

It is emphasized that 65% of the total damage caused to educational and medical institutions also occurred in the Kharkiv region, while especially large-scale destruction occurred in Vovchansk, located near the border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

“The vast majority of civilian casualties (92%) and damage to educational and medical institutions (96%) were still observed in government-controlled territory,” the report said.

According to the report, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recorded 24 attacks on energy infrastructure (19 attacks on the territory controlled by the government and five on the territory occupied by the Russian Federation), destruction or damage of power plants and substations, as well as temporary shutdown access to electricity and water. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine also recorded six attacks on railway infrastructure in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government in May.