Country: Ukraine Sources: HALO Trust, Handicap International - Humanity & Inclusion, Helvetas, Oxfam Please refer to the attached file. After three year and a half of intense fighting since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, civilians are still heavily suffering. We, members of the NGO community in Ukraine, are gravely concerned by the escalating human toll in Ukraine over the last months. Since April 2025, we have seen an intensification of attacks through massive launch of explosive weapons in residentials parts of Ukrainian cities, destroying lives and homes. Since February 2022, at least 46 085 civilians have been killed or injured[1]. In this joint statement we once again chose to highlight the most disastrous attacks impacting civilians and the death toll hindered by the extensive use of explosive weapons with wide area effect in populated area from both parties to the conflicts. We also seek to document the type of explosive weapons that pose the greatest threat to civilian life. Although, the vast majority (97%) of reported civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructures and humanitarian, occurred in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government.[2]Indeed, in April 2025, at least 209 civilians were killed and 1,146 injured—a 23% increase from March and 84% higher than April 2024—making it the deadliest month since September 2024[3].In May, another 183 civilians were killed and 836 injured, continuing this alarming trend. Civilian casualties were recorded across 17 regions and the city of Kyiv—including locations far from active combat. Repeated strikes on critical infrastructure, such as power generation facilities in Kherson and port infrastructure in Odesa, exacerbated humanitarian suffering.In June, successive massive attacks across the country also testified of this increase, with always more drones and missiles launched at one time. In June 2024 the number of drones launched for the whole month was 332. On 27 June of this year alone Russia launched 363 drones, on 17 June, 440, and on 29 June, 477 in what was the worst massive attack perpetrated since full scale invasion.[4]The primary causes of civilian harm were missile and loitering munitions strikes, which frequently targeted densely populated cities including Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv. In several cases, Russian armed forces used fragmentation warheads that detonated above ground, spreading lethal shrapnel across wide areas and causing indiscriminate harm.Short-range drone – like “First Person Views” drones (FPV) – strikes also continued with devastating impact, especially in frontline regions such as Kherson, only a few kilometers from the frontline. These attacks accounted for nearly a quarter of all casualties in April and May and have drastically intensified over the past year, driven by technological progress and increased production capacity.[5]Although innovations have improved operational precision, they have not increased civilian protection, and drones have become a leading cause of civilian death and injury in Ukraine. Those FPV drones equipped with cameras provide a real-time view of areas being crossed, allowing operators to attack military targets with “exceptional accuracy”[6]. However, it was documented by several Human rights’ actors that a large amount of these weapons was deployed against civilians “who showed no signs of direct participation in hostilities”[7], including walking, riding bicycles or using public transport, in ambulances or in humanitarian evacuation buses.The use of explosive weapons in populated areas is the one of leading causes of harm to civilians in armed conflict worldwide. Civilians are killed and injured, with many experiencing life-changing injuries and yet more suffering severe psychological harm and distress. Damage and destruction of vital infrastructure including housing, hospitals, and schools causes further harm. Unexploded ordnance poses an ongoing threat to civilians during and long after hostilities have ended, impeding the safe return of refugees and displaced persons.In Ukraine, like in all conflicts, the most vulnerable groups are disproportionately impacted by explosive weapons, particularly children, older people, and people with disabilities. Among the groups most profoundly affected, the surge of child victims is particularly distressing. Indeed, April saw the highest verified number since June 2022, with at least 19 children killed and 78 injured.[8]The increase of violence and attacks is relentlessly flouting international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), including the likelihood of violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality, and feasible precautions, the use of indiscriminate attacks. Evidence collected also indicate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including health facilities and other critical civilian infrastructure, and attacks against medical and humanitarian workers.As a common voice, we strongly denounce the continuous use of explosive weapons against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We call:Both parties to the conflict to:Stop the use of explosive weapons with wide area effect on populated areas and facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all territories where people are in dire need of aid.The international community:Use all the necessary means to apply Article 1 of the Geneva Convention and to condemn, investigate and prosecute violations to IHL, includingthe violation of the principles of distinction and proportionality, the rule on feasible precautions, the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks, the attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including attacks on health and educational facilities.To States that have not join yet Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas :To strongly denounce the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, its impacts and reverberating effects on civiliansTo sign the Declaration and take steps to immediately implement its commitments, including restricting and refraining from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas when such use is expected to cause harm to civilians and civilian objects.To States that have signed the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated AreasTo strongly denounce the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, its impacts and reverberating effects on civiliansTo lead by example by sharing undertaken action to implement its commitments, including restricting and refraining from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas when such use is expected to cause harm to civilians and civilian objectsFind below the list of major explosive weapons incidents impacting civilians from April to June 2025.[9]April 2025[10]:On 4 April, a ballistic missile detonated in the air above a park, playground, and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih, dispersing thousands of metallic fragments across the residential area. The attack killed 20 civilians (including 9 children) and injured 63 civilians (including 11 children).On 13 April, in the morning, two ballistic missiles struck the historic centre of Sumy city a few minutes away from each other. The attack killed at least 31 civilians (including 18 women and 2 children) and injured 105 (including 14 children). Many civilians were killed in the street while attempting to help the victims of the first strike or while traveling in a bus near the impact zone.On 18 April, a missile attack struck residential areas in Kharkiv city, with one missile detonating near a residential building. A 79-year-old man was killed and at least 102 civilians were injured (including 6 children)On 22 April, aerial bombardment of Zaporizhzhia city killed a 55-year-old woman and injured 39 civilians (including 7 children).On 23 April, in the early morning, a short-range drone dropped a munition on a bus in Marhanets. The attack killed 9 civilians and injured 58 - all of them workers of a mining and processing plant on their way to work.On 24 April, a missile and loitering munitions attack struck five districts of Kyiv city, with the majority of casualties occurring in a residential building in one of the districts. At least 11 civilians were killed and 81 injured (including 40 women and 10 children).May 2025[11]:On 1 May, several loitering munitions attacks occurred in different cities. In Zaporizhzhia city 31 civilians got injured, in Odesa city a man and a woman died and 15 civilians were injured. In occupied Oleshky, in Kherson region, a drone attack on a market reportedly killed 8 and injured 19 people[12].On 2 May, a loitering munitions attack in Kharkiv city injured at least 21 civilians.On 7 May, an aerial bombardment in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, killed a woman and injured 14 civilians.On 17 May, a drone struck a civilian bus near Bilopillia, Sumy region, killing 9 civilians and injuring 7 - most of them were older persons.On 23 May, a missile attack on Odesa port infrastructure killed 3 men and injured 12 more – port workers were among them.On 25 May, a massive countrywide attack killed 14 civilians (including 3 children) and injured at least 55 (including 23 women and 12 children) in 6 regions of Ukraine and Kyiv city.June 2025:On 6 June, a massive countrywide and coordinated attack targeting the capital, major cities, and the country's far-western regions killed 7 civilians and injured 80 of them.[13]On 7 June, an attack on Kharkiv city killed 5 civilians and injured at least 18 people. The attack damaged several civilian objects and notably the Children's Railway, a popular gathering place for families. [14]On 17 June, a new massive attack killed 28 people and injured over 134 people, primarily in residential areas of Kyiv.[15]On 24 June, during the day, an attack in Dnipro and Samar cities killed 23 civilians and injured over 300 in both cities. At the time of the attack, a passenger train was approaching the train station, and the attack impacted 14 train cars.[16]Signatories: AQLITY, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation Ukraine, Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International, Mission Kharkiv, Oxfam, The Halo Trust[1] Numbers from 2022 until May 2025 – total number of civilians casualties in June is not known yet at the time of writing, available at OHCHR - Protection of civilians in armed conflict Ukraine May 2025 [2] OHCHR – Protection of civilians in armed conflict Ukraine April and May 2025, reports available here [3] Numbers from 2022 until May 2025 – total number of civilians casualties in June is not known yet at the time of writing, available at OHCHR - Protection of civilians in armed conflict Ukraine April 2025[4] The Kyiv Independent, Smashing previous monthly record, Russia launches 5,337 kamikaze drones against Ukraine during June, article available here.[5] UN HRMMU report, Deadly Drones: Civilians at Risk from Short-Range Drones in Frontline Areas of Ukraine [6] UN HRMMU report, Deadly Drones: Civilians at Risk from Short-Range Drones in Frontline Areas of Ukraine, p.4[7] UN HRMMU report, Deadly Drones: Civilians at Risk from Short-Range Drones in Frontline Areas of Ukraine, p.4[8] OHCHR - Protection of civilians in armed conflict Ukraine April 2025[9] The list below is not exhaustive and does not capture all incidents that occurred between January and March 2025. The attacks mentioned were chosen due to their significant impact on civilian lives and infrastructure.[10] All incidents are taken from the UN HRMMU monthly report from April OHCHR - Protection of civilians in armed conflict Ukraine April 2025.[11] All incidents are taken from the UN HRMMU monthly report from May OHCHR - Protection of civilians in armed conflict Ukraine May 2025 [12] Verification of the casualties, as well as the circumstances of the attack, is pending.[13] Combination of INSO and Zelenskyy’s official telegram channel, news available here [14] Combination of INSO and Kyiv Independent, article available here[15] Combination of INSO and SESU’s official channel, and article from CNN available here[16] Combination of INSO and Kyiv Independent, article available here