Civilian casualties surge in March – UN human rights monitors

The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine surged in March, according to the monthly update of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) on the protection of civilians, released on Wednesday.

At least 164 people were killed and 910 injured in March, a 50% increase compared to February 2025 (129 killed and 588 injured) and over 70% more than in the same period last year (129 killed, 498 injured in March 2024).

According to the HRMMU, 95% of civilian casualties occurred in government-controlled territory, with the majority of casualties caused by long-range missiles and cluster munitions.

“The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine rose, with casualties in March significantly higher than both last month and the same month a year ago,” Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU, said. “The near daily barrage of long-range drones killed and injured scores of civilians across the country last month, and disrupted life for millions more.”

The UN says one of the cities hardest hit in March was Kryvy Rih, located about 60-70 kilometers from the front line. Five attacks by Russian forces killed at least six civilians and injured 66 in the city. The targets included civilian buildings, including two hotels and a restaurant.

Deadly attacks on Kryvy Rih continued in April. On April 4, a ballistic missile exploded in a playground, killing 19 civilians, including nine children. Another 74 people were injured, including 12 children. This attack was the largest number of child deaths in a single strike confirmed by the HRMMU since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

The head of the UN Human Rights Office, Volker Türk, expressed his outrage at the attack and called for a prompt, thorough and independent investigation.

In an incident that contributed to March’s high casualties, Russian armed forces launched an attack on 7 March that killed 11 civilians and injured 48 in Dobropillia town, Donetsk region. HRMMU’s examination of the site, interviews with victims and witnesses, and review of photos of weapon remnants determined that multiple weapons were used in the strike, including cluster munitions which caused many of the civilian casualties.

HRMMU also verified that two functioning hospitals were attacked multiple times with loitering munitions launched by Russian armed forces. Early on 14 March, three loitering munitions struck a hospital in Zolochiv, a town about 17 kilometers from the Russian border in Kharkiv region.

On 27 March, it was struck again by two loitering munitions. In a similar attack, at least five loitering munitions struck a hospital in Krasnopillia, Sumy region, on 19 March. Only one female ambulance paramedic sustained light injuries in the attacks, as hospital staff in all cases had followed safety protocols to ensure that patients and medical personnel were in shelters. However, both hospitals were damaged in the attacks, the Krasnopillia hospital significantly so. The fact that the two hospitals were directly struck multiple times raises the possibility that they were attacked deliberately, HRMMU said.