Ukraine has recently experienced a surge in civilian casualties, with the highest monthly number documented in almost a year. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported a significant increase of at least 31% in civilian deaths in May compared to April. The northeastern region of Kharkiv has been particularly affected by Russia's sweeping offensive.
More than half of the deaths in May occurred in Kharkiv city and the surrounding area, where Russian forces launched a ground attack on May 10. The head of the monitoring mission attributed the rise in casualties to Russia's use of air-dropped bombs and missiles in populated areas near the frontline and Kharkiv city.
