UN monitors verify 328 civilians killed in Ukraine in September, 85 per cent more than a year earlier

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it verified that at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in the country in September. That is 85 per cent more than in September 2025, the mission said.

The mission recorded casualties across 22 regions and the city of Kyiv. In Kyiv, civilians were killed or injured on 22 of the month’s 30 days. The mission said this was more often than in any month since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion. Its verified figures include 18 civilians killed and 44 injured in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia. The mission described the September toll as the result of intensified Russian attacks. In the Secretary-General’s daily press briefing, Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said that, according to the mission, long-range missiles and drones accounted for more than half of the casualties.

The mission said the trend continued into October. On the night of 6 to 7 October, a Russian cruise missile and drone attack killed 22 civilians and injured 45 in Pryluky, in Chernihiv region. Danielle Bell, head of the mission, said: “The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years.”

The mission said Russian armed forces had resumed systematic attacks on energy infrastructure. On 13 and 14 October, strikes hit multiple energy facilities, including Kyiv’s three main power stations. Ukrainian authorities said this temporarily left 600,000 people in the capital without electricity. The mission added that Ukrainian armed forces also targeted electricity and heating infrastructure in occupied territory and in the Russian Federation. Ms. Bell warned: “Systematically attacking electricity and heating infrastructure as winter approaches is bound to inflict significant suffering on the civilian population.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported another wave of large-scale attacks overnight. According to authorities, at least 6 civilians were killed and 84 injured. Power and water supplies were disrupted in 11 regions. In the Volyn Region, some 270,000 households and businesses lost electricity, OCHA said.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that damaged homes and attacks on energy could force Ukrainians who returned home to flee again. It said 3.8 million people have returned to their places of residence since February 2022, while nearly 3.6 million remain displaced inside the country. About 1.45 million returnees live in frontline districts. During the last cold season, only 32 per cent of households could heat their homes adequately. Around 2.1 million older people live alone in apartment buildings. Less than seven per cent of IOM’s crisis response plan for Ukraine this year has been funded, said Arthur Erken, IOM Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. He called for urgent support to repair homes and maintain essential services.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said an eighth localised ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia began on Thursday so that repairs could be made to a damaged backup transformer at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said diesel fuel at the plant was running low, with no deliveries since March. He said: “It is essential that steps are taken to increase the volume of diesel fuel available on-site prior to winter, when the situation may become acute.”

The sources do not say how the mission counts casualties in Russian-held areas beyond the figures above. Asked whether a similar monitoring mission operates there, Mr. Haq said the UN is not able to provide the same resources, given the lack of access. He said the mission’s mandate covers human rights monitoring inside Ukraine.