Source: UN News: Saturday, 09 May 2026 00:01 AM
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has reported that on May 5, 28 people were killed and 194 were injured in a series of attacks by Russian military forces. From May 1 to May 5, at least 70 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in drone and missile attacks. The UN mission is collecting information about the casualties in these incidents. Russian military forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, following which the country is facing a massive humanitarian crisis. Civilians on the front lines of the fighting are facing difficult challenges. According to Danielle Bullock, head of HRMMU, the scale of civilian casualties and the large-scale areas affected within a matter of days is particularly worrying. “Since May 1, more than 570 civilians have been reported killed or injured in 14 regions of Ukraine.” Tweet URL
Between 1 and 5 May, Russian military forces launched several attacks on several Ukrainian cities. On May 5, at least 12 people were killed and 46 injured in an aerial bombardment of an industrial area in Zaporizhia. On the same day, central areas of the Kramatorsk and Donetsk regions were targeted, killing 6 and injuring 13. Since Friday, May 1, a series of long-range missile and drone attacks have caused significant civilian casualties in Ukraine. Kharkiv Dnipro, Kherson, Poltava and Odessa regions are said to be the most affected. In some attacks, emergency workers and frontline relief workers are reported killed or injured. After the first attack, while these rescue workers were engaged in rescue efforts, a second attack also took place there. In the Poltava region, two emergency services workers were reported killed in such attacks on a gas extraction facility on the night of 4-5 May. In Kherson, on May 3, some health workers were hit by a short-range drone while they were providing medical aid to people previously affected by another drone attack. Responsibility to protect civiliansMany of the attacks used powerful weapons against urban areas during daylight hours, leading to higher casualties. Danielle Bullock, head of the Human Rights Mission, said that many of the civilians who lost their lives or were injured were going about their daily activities – going to work, running errands, shopping, walking – or were providing assistance to those affected by previous attacks. The damage caused can be estimated in advance.” There is information that 10 people were killed in the attacks that took place during 1-5 May in the areas occupied by the Russian Federation. Of these, 5 people died in a drone attack in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Additionally, at least two people were killed and 35 others were injured on May 5 in Cheboksary, Russia. The UN human rights monitoring mission notes that under international humanitarian law, the attacking party has an obligation to take all possible measures to prevent civilian casualties. These also include consideration of the time of attack and the weapons used.