Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — May 2025

Summary
• May 2025, at least 183 civilians were killed and 836 injured, continuing a trend of high civilian casualties this year. The number of civilians killed in May is the second highest in 2025, following April.

• Long-range strikes continued at a high rate in May, causing the largest proportion of civilian casualties throughout Ukraine, while shortrange drones remained the leading cause in frontline areas. The vast majority of civilian casualties (97 per cent) occurred in areas under the control of the Government of Ukraine.

• In May, civilian casualties were recorded across 17 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv, including areas located far from the frontline.

• 28 per cent of the civilian casualties were the result of missile strikes and loitering munitions. The same high proportion of casualties was caused by short-range drone attacks. Artillery shelling and MLRS strikes accounted for 21 per cent, and aerial bombardments for 18 per cent of the casualties.

• In May, Russian armed forces conducted at least five attacks on port infrastructure in Odesa region, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.