The highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine during the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022, was recorded in March 2022, with 4,312 people killed and 3,018 injured. In May 2025, 183 civilian deaths were verified by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),

As of May 31, 2025, 13,341 civilian deaths in Ukraine were reported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) due to the Russian invasion that started on February 24, 2022. OHCHR specified that the real figures could be significantly higher. Furthermore, the increases in the figures each week should not be attributed to that week only because they include adjustments from previous weeks.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 46,085 civilian casualties during Russia's invasion of Ukraine as of May 31, 2025. Of them, 32,744 people were reported to have been injured. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher. How many people have died during the war in Ukraine? OHCHR has estimated the number of deaths of civilians, or non-armed individuals, in Ukraine at 13,341 since the start of the war on February 24, 2022. The highest death toll was recorded in March 2022, at over 3,900. The figures on soldier deaths are reported by Russia and Ukraine’s governmental authorities, but they cannot be verified at this point and thus need to be taken with caution. Conflict-related deaths in Ukraine from 2014 to 2021 After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukraine has seen a military conflict between the government and the Russia-supported separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. OHCHR estimates that between 14,200 and 14,400 people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed in relation to that conflict from April 14, 2014, to December 31, 2021. Of them, at least 3,400 were civilians.

As of May 31, 2025, 13,341 civilians were reported to have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022. Prior to the war, fighting took place in eastern Ukraine between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and separatist forces supported by the Russian government. Over the course of 2021, 25 conflict-related deaths were recorded in Ukraine. Between April 14 and December 31, 2014, the number of killed civilians exceeded 2,084. These include 298 victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) which was shot down in July 2014. Euromaidan protests and the annexation of Crimea In late 2013, the pro-Russian government of Ukraine backtracked on further integration with the European Union (EU), which led to the Euromaidan period; anti-government protests then turned violent, resulting in almost 100 deaths and thousands of casualties, before the president was ousted. This was followed by the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as its backing separatist paramilitaries in the eastern Oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk; in terms of ethnic composition, these three regions have the highest share of ethnic Russians. Within a month of the annexation, a referendum was held in Crimea and roughly 96 percent of the public voted in favor of joining Russia. The results and validity of the referendum, however, have not received international recognition, and international sanctions sent the Russian economy into recession, but Russia has held de facto control of Crimea since 2014. Ukraine after 2014 Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, was elected in 2014, and oversaw a period of further decommunization, European integration, and anti-corruption policies, as well as numerous ceasefires in the Donbas region (although none lasted more than six weeks). Poroshenko was defeated in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, with commentators citing various reasons, such as his own scandals, failure to engage with the Russian community, persistent corruption, and the popularity of his opponent. He was succeeded by a political outsider, the former comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who ran on a populist and reformist platform.

In Europe, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Lithuania had the highest and third highest homicide rates respectively in 2022. Latvia had the highest rate at over four per 100,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the lowest homicide rate was found in Liechtenstein, with zero murders The most dangerous country worldwide Saint Kitts and Nevis is the world's most dangerous country to live in in terms of murder rate. The Caribbean country had a homicide rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nine of the 10 countries with the highest murder rates worldwide are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Whereas Celaya in Mexico was listed as the city with the highest murder rate worldwide, Colima in Mexico was the city with the highest homicide rate in Latin America, so the numbers vary from source to source. Nevertheless, several Mexican cities rank among the deadliest in the world when it comes to intentional homicides. Violent conflicts worldwide Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in countries such as Ukraine or the DR Congo. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly.