Russia's war against Ukraine is killing and injuring civilians at a sharply faster pace than a year ago, the United Nations has found, with more than 15,000 civilian casualties documented in the first eight months of 2026 alone as Moscow intensifies strikes on cities, energy infrastructure and commercial sites far behind the front line.
More than 400 casualties every week
Presenting the findings to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on October 2, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said his office had documented 15,280 civilians killed or injured between January and August 2026 — an average of more than 400 people every week. That represents a 55 percent increase over the same period in 2025.
The toll near the front line has risen even faster. According to the UN Human Rights Office, nearly 2,500 civilians were killed or injured by Russian aerial glide bombs in the first eight months of the year, 62 percent more than in the same period last year. The weapons, launched from aircraft outside the reach of most Ukrainian air defences, have devastated front-line towns and villages where evacuation is often impossible for elderly or immobile residents.
"The war in Ukraine is a human rights catastrophe that is growing and intensifying by the week, causing unfathomable pain to civilians, and threatening an even greater disaster across the entire region," Turk said.
Strikes on schools, hospitals and supermarkets
The UN office said Russian strikes on schools, medical centres, apartment buildings, railways and shops were driving the growing casualty count, leaving people across Ukraine living in what it described as "constant dread." It also warned of a sharp increase in Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and commercial properties such as supermarkets and food companies, which it said would deepen civilian hardship — including temporary shortages of dairy and food items — as the winter months approach.
Turk criticised Russia's leadership for building a militarised economy "that puts death and destruction ahead of healthcare and education," and urged states with influence over Moscow to press for peace before, in his words, the tragedy becomes even worse.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the call for accountability. "While Russia cannot achieve any of its goals on the frontline, it is killing and injuring more Ukrainian civilians," Sybiha said, adding that the High Commissioner's call to states with influence over Russia "must be acted upon."
Abuse allegations and a warning on accountability
The report also documented what Turk called shocking levels of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war. Of 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence recorded between February 2022 and July 2026, the UN attributed 89 percent to Russian forces. Turk accused Russia of using such acts "to torture, intimidate and coerce individuals and communities," and said that alongside peace there must be accountability.
The High Commissioner also raised concerns about foreign nationals recruited into Russia's war effort. His office interviewed prisoners of war from 36 countries held by Ukraine, many of whom said they had been deceived into joining Russian forces.
For Kyiv, the figures underline a central argument of its diplomacy: that Russia, unable to break Ukraine's defensive lines, is increasingly directing its firepower at the civilian population in an effort to make everyday life untenable. With winter approaching and attacks on energy and food infrastructure rising, the UN warning suggests the hardest months for Ukrainian civilians may still lie ahead.
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