In January 2025, at least 139 civilians died and 738 were injured in hostilities in Ukraine. This is 39% more than in December 2024 and 27% more than in January 2024. Most of the deaths and injuries were recorded in the government-controlled areas.
One of the main threats to the civilian population has been short-range drones, in particular FPV drones. In government-controlled areas of Kherson region, they caused 70% of all civilian casualties.
Here are the highlights from the new report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Read also: UN report: attacks on energy infrastructure can have lasting effects on civilians
The most affected regions
The fighting and attacks have caused significant casualties and destruction in the frontline regions. Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions were the most affected. In particular, several shelling incidents took place in Zaporizhzhia on 8, 18 and 23 January, killing 17 people and injuring 176. In addition, a large-scale attack on energy infrastructure on 15 January damaged at least four gas production, transportation and storage facilities, causing emergency power outages in seven regions of the country.
Worst incidents of the month
January 2025 was marked by several tragic events:
- On 8 January, two aerial bombs hit an industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia, killing 14 people and injuring 115 others.
- 17 January – а rocket attack on a college and residential area in Kryvyi Rih killed five people and injured seven others.
- 20 January – a rocket artillery strike on the village of Bekhtery (occupied part of Kherson region) kills three people and injures 24 others.
- 30 January – a kamikaze attack on a residential building in Sumy resulted in the deaths of 11 civilians, including three elderly couples.
See also: Deportation of Ukrainian children: a new report from the Yale University Humanities Research Laboratory
Problems with access to medical care
Access to medical facilities remains limited due to active hostilities in the frontline areas. One of the victims in Kherson region said that after being injured by drone debris, he tried to apply a tourniquet himself. However, it was extremely difficult because ambulances are no longer able to travel to the active hostilities area due to the danger of attacks.
Problems with recording casualties
Official data on the number of dead and wounded may be incomplete due to difficulties in verifying information, especially in the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, the data for Mariupol, Lysychansk, Popasna and Sievierodonetsk, where intense fighting took place in 2022, may still be underestimated.
Read also: Protection of civilians in Ukraine: a detailed overview of the UN report for October
