(Adnkronos) – In 2025, civilian casualties in Ukraine caused by bombings increased by 26%, a figure that reflects the rise in Russian attacks against the country’s cities and infrastructure. According to the Guardian, citing Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), 2,248 civilians were killed and 12,493 injured due to violence in Ukraine, with a significant increase in the number of casualties and incidents. On average, 4.8 civilians were killed or injured in each attack, 33% more than in 2024, with the worst attack occurring in Dnipro on June 24. Russian missiles hit a passenger train, apartments, and schools, killing 21 people and injuring 314, including 38 children.
Iain Overton, executive director of AOAV, stated that the data shows that “Ukraine reflects a broader collapse of restraint, now visible in numerous wars,” and that respect for proportionality in war “has shattered.” Deliberately targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure excessively to gain a direct military advantage is a war crime, but experts have stated that the principle of proportionality is at a breaking point in numerous conflicts, including Gaza, Sudan, and Congo, as well as Ukraine.
“We have witnessed this erosion over the years, from Homs to Aleppo, to Mariupol, and then to Gaza. What now seems different is the feeling that there is no longer a functioning rules-based international order capable of holding those responsible accountable for their actions,” Overton argues. Missile and drone attacks occurred almost every night across Ukraine throughout 2025 and continued into 2026, leaving millions of people with limited or no access to electricity, heating, and water. A total of 805 drones and 13 missiles targeted Ukraine on the night of September 9, the largest air raid ever recorded during the war.
