March proves deadly month for civilians in Ukraine

“The near daily barrage of long-range drones killed and injured scores of civilians across the country last month, and disrupted life for millions more,” said the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), Danielle Bell, in the independent human rights team’s latest monthly update.  

The mission was mandated by the UN human rights chief at the invitation of the Ukrainian Government in 2014, to help safeguard rights during the escalating conflict.  

With at least 164 Ukrainians killed and 910 injured, March 2025 saw a 50 per cent spike in civilian casualties from the previous month. These numbers represent a 71 per cent increase in civilian casualties compared with March last year, says the latest HRMMU Protection of Civilians Report.

Russian attacks on cities such as Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Sumy, combined with multiple munitions strikes on Dobropillia, exacerbated the high number of casualties in March.  

Kryvyi Rih, located around 65 kilometers from the frontline, was one of the places most heavily affected, suffering five waves of Russian attacks which killed at least six civilians and injured 66.  

Civilian buildings in the city – home town of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – including two hotels and a restaurant, were amongst the sites hit.  

Some 29 medical and 50 educational facilities were damaged by Russian armed forces during last month, while two medical centres and six educational facilities were totally destroyed.  

“Hospitals enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law and should not be subjected to attack,” Ms. Bell said.

Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law, said UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, emphasising that parties to a conflict ought to differentiate military from civilian infrastructures.  

Hostilities continue

UN Human Rights in Ukraine noted that deadly attacks by Russian armed forces continued into April. “It’s an unimaginable horror,” said Mr. Türk, referring to an April 4 attack where a ballistic missile detonated over a playground, killing 19 civilians, including nine children.  

Another wave of attacks in Eastern Ukraine caused damage to residential buildings and injured scores of civilians on Wednesday. Aid workers are currently on the ground assessing the needs of the affected population.  

“Ukrainians deserve to live a normal life, free from violence,” said UN aid coordination office, OCHA, in Ukraine.