June 2026 took the lives of at least 293 civilians and injured 1,990 people across Ukraine. The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine for the month rose to the highest level since the start of the full-scale invasion — according to the report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). The total number of affected civilians reached 2,283 people, including 123 children.
Increased Civilian Casualties in the First Half of the Year
For the first six months of 2026, the number of civilian casualties was 37 percent higher than during the same period in 2025 and more than double the figure for 2024. The escalation is caused by long-range missiles and drones hitting populated areas, as well as continuous attacks by short-range drones near the front line. Damage to civilians from long-range weapons — missiles and drones — increased by 60 percent from January to June compared to the same period last year.
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Attacks on Cities
Densely populated urban centers suffered massive attacks that damaged residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and cultural heritage sites. Kyiv, located far from the front line, experienced several major missile strikes by the Russian Armed Forces during the month. High-rise residential buildings, schools, and hospitals were damaged, with casualties among residents. The highest number of civilian casualties was recorded in Kyiv, as well as in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Dnipro, according to HRMMU.
On June 15, strikes on Kyiv damaged homes, educational institutions, and other civilian objects, including the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The WHO reported damage to six hospitals in the capital, which affected the provision of basic medical services. On the same day, in Kharkiv, six rescuers were killed and seven injured while working at the site of a previous strike. In Zaporizhzhia, residents suffered from frequent attacks on public transport. In the Sumy region, which borders Russia, a strike on the city of Shostka destroyed a railway station and complicated the evacuation of people to safer places.
Life Under Drone Fire
Near the front line, the expanded use of short-range drones and guided aerial bombs has changed the living conditions of civilians and the work of humanitarian workers. Everyday activities have become dangerous. Residents described feeling like they are being hunted by drones as soon as they go out to buy food, work in the field, or try to reach safety. Humanitarian workers, especially in the front-line regions, have also come under attack. On June 24, in the Kherson region, two employees of Norwegian People’s Aid were killed while working, and several others were injured.
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Attacks on Medicine and Infrastructure
The healthcare system suffered 106 attacks during the month. Energy and water supply networks were under constant shelling, leaving hundreds of thousands of front-line residents without access to safe water. According to the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Cluster, 120,000 people in the Donetsk region are at risk of losing access to drinking water, and the risk of water-borne disease outbreaks is increasing. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, water supply disruptions accelerated the relocation of people in the Vasylkivka community after an airstrike on an energy facility in June. Attacks on the energy infrastructure continued: in June, 274 strikes were recorded, compared to 102 the previous year.
Millions of Displaced People
From January to June, 132,000 people left their homes. About 3.9 million people remain internally displaced — approximately 12 percent of Ukraine’s population, according to IOM data. Nearly 70 percent of them have been living outside their homes for more than two years. Prolonged displacement has forced 87 percent of such households to resort to desperate measures: spending savings, reducing utility costs, paying less for treatment, moving to worse housing, or accumulating rent arrears.
Preparing for Winter
Last winter, with its severe weather and prolonged power outages, severely affected vulnerable displaced families, and this year they will need help again. The needs ahead of the cold season remain acute due to the layering of economic hardship, displacement, and destruction of housing and critical infrastructure. According to the Danish Refugee Council, nearly 60 percent of families are unable to pay for fuel and utilities without external support; the most vulnerable are the elderly, displaced people, and the unemployed. The 2026-2027 winter response plan provides for $357.4 million to cover 2.1 million people and is based on the priorities of the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.
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