In 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 25,718 deaths and 62,854 injuries, suggesting that the English-language reports monitored by AOAV underestimate the reality on the ground. In total, according to AOAV, 45,358 civilian casualties were recorded worldwide in 2025.
Civilian casualties in Ukraine from bombings have increased by 26% in 2025, reflecting an increase in Russian attacks on cities and infrastructure, according to a report published by the British conflict monitoring organization, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). According to data based on English-language reports, 2,248 civilians have been killed and 12,493 injured in explosive violence in Ukraine this year. The organization emphasizes that the number of victims per recorded incident has also increased significantly. On average, 4.8 civilians were reported killed or injured in each attack, 33% more than in 2024. The most severe attack was recorded on June 24 in Dnipro, where Russian missiles hit a passenger train, residential buildings and schools. As a result, 21 people lost their lives and 314 others were injured, including 38 children.
AOAV executive director Iain Overton said the figures showed a “wider breakdown of restraint” in current conflicts. He said the principle of proportionality in war had “broken down”.
Under international humanitarian law, the deliberate targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructure in a disproportionate manner constitutes a war crime. Experts warn that this principle has been seriously questioned in several conflicts, including Gaza, Sudan and Congo. The report notes that missile and drone attacks occurred almost every night in Ukraine during 2025 and continued into 2026, leaving millions of citizens without a reliable supply of electricity, heating and water. On September 9, the largest airstrike of the war was recorded, with 805 drones and 13 missiles launched towards Ukrainian territory. Globally, the AOAV reports a 26% drop in civilian casualties compared to 2024, which had marked the highest level in a decade. The decrease is mainly related to the October ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the report, 14,024 civilian casualties were recorded in Gaza during 2025, 40% fewer than the previous year. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has signaled that it accepts as broadly accurate the figures of health authorities in Gaza, according to which about 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
In 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 25,718 deaths and 62,854 injuries, suggesting that the English-language reports monitored by AOAV underestimate the reality on the ground. In total, according to AOAV, 45,358 civilian casualties were recorded worldwide in 2025, up from 61,353 the previous year. Of these, 17,589 civilians were reported killed and 27,769 injured by explosive violence. Israel ranks as the country with the highest number of casualties caused by explosive violence in 2025, accounting for 35% of reported cases, followed by Russia with 32%. These are followed by the conflicts in Sudan and Myanmar.
“When impunity becomes normalized, war crimes cease to be shocking exceptions and begin to resemble a method of warfare,” Overton said.