UN human rights mission deplores civilian toll in deadly missile strikes on Ukraine

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS – UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on Wednesday said that dozens of civilians including children and school staff were killed or wounded in Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities described as a “foreseeable” tragedy caused by strikes on populated areas.

UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine HRMMU said that at least 24 people were reported killed and over 300 injured – including 32 children when ballistic missiles struck Ukraine’s Dnipro and Odesa regions.

It said that the attacks destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure, and left hundreds wounded.

Danielle Bell, head of HRMMU said that “The attacks struck during the day when civilians were at work, on trains, or at school,”

“The timing alone made the high number of civilian casualties entirely foreseeable.”

She noted that on 23 June two ballistic missiles launched by Russian forces hit Lyceum No. 1, a middle school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region.

The school year had ended, staff and students were present for administrative work. The strike killed three educators and injured 14 others, including two boys, HMMRU stated.

The school, which served over 700 students, sustained critical damage.

HRMMU visited the attacks sites, reported no evidence of military presence at the school, and people confirmed that no military presence had been stationed there.

“The school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was not a military objective,” Ms. Bell said.

“Yet it was hit by two ballistic missiles, killing educators and injuring children.”

On 24 June, missiles struck an industrial area of Dnipro city at around 11 AM local time. The blast shattered windows in nearby schools, hospitals and residential buildings.

HRMMU confirmed that two dormitories were hit, injuring numerous residents.

It also added that a passenger train was impacted – windows blown out by the shockwave injuring more than 20 travelers.

According to the human rights mission these strikes followed a series of other attacks in June that have resulted in significant civilian harm, including in Kyiv city on 17 and 23 June.

It stressed that civilian casualties in the first 5 months of 2025 were 50 percent higher than during the same period last year, with increases typically seen during the summer months.

“Ballistic missiles, when used in densely populated areas, cause predictable and widespread harm to civilians, as demonstrated by these recent attacks,” Ms. Bell said.

Ms. Bell added “The rising civilian casualties reflect the severity of that risk.”