In the morning of Thursday 31 July, Russia launched a drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least 31 civilians, and injuring 159 others. Among the killed include three children, aged three, six and 17.
This is the worst attack Kyiv has seen in 2025 so far, with search operations continuing throughout the day and night into the 1st August. According to Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, the attack resulted in the highest number of children injured in Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russia targeted numerous other oblasts in the same night, with AOAV recording at least 257 civilian casualties on the 30th and 31st of July alone, this includes 219 injured and 38 killed.
Explosive violence by Russia appears to have escalated in recent weeks and months, with civilian casualties in July reaching the highest recorded so far this year.
Figure 1 – Ukraine Civilian casualties in 2025
As illustrated in figure 1, civilian casualties have increased by 128% compared to figures recorded in January this year.
Attacks such as the one on Kyiv, in densely populated towns and cities similarly continue to increase. In January, 222 incidents were recorded as occurring in populated areas, resulting in 796 civilian casualties whereas in July, this figure reached 308 incidents, resulting in 1,979 civilian casualties – this is a 149% increase in civilian casualties in populated areas across Ukraine in comparison to the beginning of the year.
Figure 2 – Event Locations with highest civilian casualties in 2025
| Event Location | Civilian casualties |
| Urban residential | 6,092 |
| Multiple (urban) | 2,140 |
| Village | 291 |
| No information | 264 |
| Public transport | 79 |
Figure 3 – Regions with highest civilian casualties in 2025
| Region | Civilian Casualties |
| Kherson | 1,619 |
| Donetsk | 1,570 |
| Kharkiv | 1,568 |
| Dnipropetrovsk | 1,316 |
| Kyiv | 917 |
To read more on AOAV’s figures and data regarding the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, please refer to our Ukraine casualty monitor, which is regularly updated with our latest figures.
AOAV reiterates the importance of the international community working together to bring an end to this conflict, to ensure peace and stability is restored in Ukraine. The ongoing suffering of the Ukrainian people must be at the forefront of all diplomatic efforts in relation to the conflict. AOAV reiterates its condemnation of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and urges the cessation of such weapon use immediately.
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