Civilians under fire in record numbers as attacks surge — Global Issues

Based on the UN human rights workplace, OHCHR, a minimum of 139 civilians have been killed and 791 injured up to now in July alone.

“The devastating bodily and psychological influence on civilians of repeated assaults on this and different conflicts can’t be captured by numbers alone,” stated OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell on Tuesday.

Escalating assaults

On the evening of 12 July, Russian forces reportedly launched almost 600 Shahed-type unmanned assault and decoy drones, together with 26 missiles, killing two civilians and injuring 41.

Harm was reported throughout a number of areas, together with Chernivtsi, Lviv, Cherkasy, Volyn and Kirovohrad – all removed from energetic fight zones. Earlier that very same week, Russian forces reportedly launched a record-breaking 728 long-range drones in a single 24-hour interval.

June marked the deadliest month for civilians in over three years.

“Persons are having to spend hours sheltering (…) in basements, corridors and obtainable refuges equivalent to metro stations,” stated Ms. Throssell. “In some circumstances, they’re unable to get to shelter in any respect.”

Well being underneath strain

The UN World Well being Group (WHO) in the meantime has verified 2,504 assaults on well being services and personnel in Ukraine for the reason that begin of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022.

These strikes have hit hospitals, ambulances and first responders, together with in so-called “double faucet” assaults the place secondary strikes comply with the preliminary influence.

“This implies greater than two assaults on daily basis…Healthcare shouldn’t be a secure place for sufferers and healthcare employees,” stated Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Consultant in Ukraine.

Entry to healthcare stays particularly restricted in frontline areas, the place personnel and provides are scarce.

Solely 69 per cent of residents in these areas have seen a major care physician, in comparison with 74 per cent nationally. WHO cell groups working in 82 places have carried out greater than 7,500 consultations in 2025 up to now.

The psychological toll can be carrying folks down. A current evaluation discovered that seven out of 10 folks reported nervousness, despair or extreme stress over the past 12 months, whereas one in two stated that they had skilled vital stress in simply the previous two months.

To handle this, WHO and nationwide companions have educated greater than 125,000 well being employees and expanded psychological well being providers via greater than 220 neighborhood resilience centres.

Regardless of continued deliveries of trauma kits and medical provides by UN and humanitarian companions, the response stays critically underfunded. As of mid-July, solely 35.5 per cent of the required $129 million for 2025 has been secured, leaving greater than two million folks with out enough medical help.

Name for accountability

In Geneva, Ms. Throssell highlighted the UN human rights chief’s requires a right away finish to hostilities and for efforts towards a simply and lasting peace.

“The Russian Federation’s full-scale armed assault on Ukraine should urgently be halted and work on an enduring peace consistent with worldwide legislation should intensify,” Volker Türk stated in an announcement.

The Excessive Commissioner emphasised that any sustainable resolution should embrace accountability for critical human rights violations, the return of deported kids, safety for civilians in occupied areas, humane therapy of prisoners of struggle, and restoration of humanitarian corridors.