Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — August 2026

Summary

• At least 372 civilians were killed and 2,349 injured in Ukraine in August 2026. The number of civilians killed and injured was the second highest monthly figure in 2026, after July (448 killed; 2,675 injured).
• In the first eight months of 2026, more civilians were killed and injured in Ukraine than during the whole of 2025. Civilian casualties from January to August 2026 (2,222 killed; 13,058 injured) were 55 per cent higher than in the same period in 2025 and more than double than in the same period in 2024.*
• In August, long-range weapons (missiles and drones) remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for 47 per cent of the total (194 killed; 1,077 injured). Most casualties from these weapons occurred far from the frontline in urban centres.
• Short-range drones were the main cause of civilian casualties near the frontline (91 killed; 727 injured), accounting for 30 per cent of all civilian casualties in August.
• Civilians were killed or injured across 13 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. The highest numbers of killed and injured were documented in the cities of Kyiv (31 killed; 106 injured), Kherson (25 killed; 334 injured), Kryvyi Rih (16 killed; 147 injured), and Zaporizhzhia (11 killed; 131 injured).
• The verified figures include 4 civilians killed and 35 injured in territory of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. According to public statements by Russian authorities on individual incidents in August, at least 85 people were killed and 498 injured in occupied territory and at least 113 people were killed and 736 injured in the Russian Federation. Due to lack of independent sources of information, however, HRMMU has not been able to verify the vast majority of allegations.
• Attacks surged against retail, food and logistics companies. Some of Ukraine’s largest companies – Fozzy Group, Epicentr, Nova Poshta, Rozetka, Aurora and Varus – were attacked at least 32 times, compared with 11 in July. In the Russian Federation, the companies Wildberries and Ozon were attacked at least 17 times.

*January-August 2024: 1,392 killed and 5,496 injured; January-August 2025: 1,694 killed and 8,165 injured.