The invasion of Ukraine continues to inflict unbearable suffering on its civilian population. Since July 2024, Russian forces have intensified their bombardment of civilian infrastructure, increasing the use of missiles, guided bombs, and armed drones in densely populated areas. This relentless violence, paired with fierce ground offensives in Donetsk, has resulted in a surge of civilian casualties and extensive destruction. As the violence escalates, so does the toll on innocent Ukrainian civilians, trapped in a Russian invasion that long ago abandoned international humanitarian norms.
A Steady Increase in Civilian Casualties
The statistics from the past few months are harrowing.
In July 2024 alone, AOAV’s Explosive Violence Monitor recorded 339 separate incidents in Ukraine, resulting in at least 1,237 civilian casualties—219 deaths and 1,018 injuries—making it the deadliest month since October 2022. The number of civilian casualties rose by 28% between March and August 2024 compared to the previous six months, with over 2,277 civilian casualties recorded in July and August combined. These figures starkly highlight the increasingly dangerous environment for Ukraine’s civilian population.
The pattern of bombardment is deeply troubling. Cities like Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Kharkiv have been repeatedly targeted with explosive weapons that disproportionately harm civilians. On July 3rd, Dnipro was struck by missiles and loitering munitions, killing five civilians and injuring 49 more. Days later, the city of Selydove in Donetsk was hit, leaving five dead and 15 injured. In Kyiv, one of the most heart-wrenching attacks occurred on July 8th, when multiple missiles hit the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, killing 42 civilians and injuring at least 190. The hospital’s toxicology department was destroyed, while the nearby Pediatric Cardiology Center was severely damaged, depriving countless children of urgent medical care.
These attacks are not isolated incidents.
On July 19th, a playground and high-rise buildings in Mykolaiv were damaged by a missile, killing four civilians, including a child, and injuring 14 others. On August 9th, a missile struck the Ekomarket supermarket in Kostyantynivka, killing 14 civilians and wounding 44. The impact on civilian lives, public spaces, and critical infrastructure is evident and devastating.
Civilian Infrastructure Under Siege
Beyond the immediate human toll, the war in Ukraine is systematically destroying civilian infrastructure, threatening to undo decades of development to lift Ukraine from its post-Soviet blight and now threatens to entrench poverty in affected areas. Hospitals, schools, energy facilities, and homes have become primary targets.
According to the United Nations, the destruction of critical infrastructure in Ukraine is a ‘daily destructive pattern,’ particularly in cities’ outskirts, where energy facilities are essential for civilian survival. These repeated attacks have caused widespread displacement, leaving thousands without electricity, running water, or access to health care, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation.
In July and August alone, Russian forces launched more than 236 missiles and drones in a single day on August 26th, marking the largest air attack since February 2022. These strikes targeted not only military installations but also civilian infrastructure, leaving behind a landscape of devastation. In Kharkiv, guided bombs hit residential areas on August 30th, killing eight civilians and injuring over 100 others. Residential buildings, hospitals, and railways in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy were similarly struck, with two consecutive attacks on a hospital in Sumy killing 10 people during the patient evacuation process on September 28th.
The damage extends far beyond the physical destruction—it is upending people’s lives, their futures, and their sense of safety.
One of the most alarming aspects of the conflict is the extensive use of explosive weapons in populated areas, a practice that violates key principles of international humanitarian law, particularly the obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks.
Explosive weapons with wide-area effects are notoriously destructive when used in urban settings. Civilians are killed and injured not only in the initial blasts but also from the collapse of buildings, the spread of fire, and the long-term presence of unexploded ordnance, which continues to kill and maim long after the fighting has subsided.
The Human Cost of War: Vulnerable Groups Hit Hardest
The use of these explosive weapons has a particularly devastating effect on the most vulnerable groups in society. Children, the elderly, and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected, as they are often unable to flee dangerous areas quickly or access adequate protection.
According to AOAV’s data, at least 130 children were killed or injured in Ukraine during July and August 2024, with 95% of these casualties caused by explosive weapons. The destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals compounds the impact on children, threatening their survival and wellbeing for years to come.
For example, the missile strike on a high-rise residential building in Kharkiv on September 15th caused the death of one person and left at least 40 others injured, including children. These repeated attacks on civilian structures, along with schools and kindergartens, are not only robbing Ukraine’s children of their lives but also their futures, depriving them of education and stable homes.
The humanitarian impact of these attacks cannot be overstated. The damage to civilian infrastructure disrupts access to essential services like health care, clean water, electricity, and shelter. In particular, hospitals and medical facilities have been disproportionately targeted, which is especially concerning given the vital role they play during times of conflict. Without functioning health care systems, the injuries inflicted by explosive weapons are compounded by the inability to provide life-saving treatment, leaving many civilians to die from wounds that could otherwise have been treated.
The Need for International Action
In the face of these atrocities, it is clear that stronger international action is needed to protect civilians in Ukraine and beyond. The continued use of explosive weapons in populated areas by both Russian forces violates the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, which call for the protection of civilians during armed conflict. It is time for the international community to hold this Security Council Member accountable for the harm they are inflicting on civilians and to demand adherence to these legal obligations.
One vital step that stats that have joined the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas should stand up in condemnation of Russia’s actions. This declaration, which calls on states to restrict and refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas when such use is expected to cause harm to civilians, is an essential tool for reducing the civilian toll of modern warfare. Its signatories should urge Russia to prioritise the protection of civilian lives and to implement measures to limit the use of such weapons in civilian areas.
Explosive weapons with wide-area effects should not be used in populated areas, where the risk of civilian harm is too great. The scale of destruction in Ukraine demands a renewed commitment to international humanitarian principles, with a focus on limiting the use of weapons that cause unnecessary suffering and prolong the conflict.
The Way Forward
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is far from over. The recent intensification of the conflict has shown that without international pressure and concrete steps toward de-escalation, the civilian toll will only continue to rise. Russian forces must be urged to adopt stricter measures to avoid civilian harm, and the international community must play a more active role in enforcing compliance with international humanitarian law.