Civilian casualties in Ukraine rise 59% in first nine months of 2026

Attachments • Download Report (PDF | 5.04 MB) Summary • At least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in September 2026, the highest for September since the start of the full-scale invasion, and 85 per cent higher than in September 2025 (249 killed; 1,068 injured). • Civilian casualties from January to September 2026 (2,570 killed; 15,211 injured) were 59 per cent higher than in the same period in 2025 and more than twice as high as during same period in 2024.[1] • Long-range weapons (missiles and drones) remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for 53 per cent of the total (165 killed; 1,119 injured). Short-range drones were the second leading cause (87 killed; 475 injured), accounting for 23 per cent of all civilian casualties in September. • Civilians were killed and injured across 22 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. The highest numbers of killed and injured were documented in Kyiv (32 killed; 340 injured), where civilian casualties were recorded on 22 of 30 days, more frequently than in any previous month since the start of the full-scale invasion. Other cities heavily affected were Kherson (16 killed; 202 injured), Sumy (11 killed; 131 injured), and Zaporizhzhia (7 killed; 127 injured). • The verified figures include 18 civilians killed and 44 injured in territory of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. According to public statements by Russian authorities on individual incidents in September, at least 87 people were killed and 436 injured in occupied territory and at least 53 people were killed and 462 injured in the Russian Federation. Due to lack of access and independent sources of information, HRMMU has not been able to verify the vast majority of allegations. • Russian armed forces resumed large-scale coordinated attacks on electricity and heating infrastructure across Ukraine. On 30 September, attacks damaged electricity generation, distribution and transmission facilities in three regions and Kyiv city, causing emergency power outages. Ukrainian armed forces attacked electricity infrastructure in territory of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation.