Russian strikes hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure 31 times in September, killed 214 – UN

At least 214 civilians were killed and nearly 1,000 injured across Ukraine in September 2025, another tragic month, especially for communities along the frontline, which remain at the epicenter of the devastation, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said on Friday. The mission said attacks on energy infrastructure also continued throughout September and intensified in October, when a large-scale attack last night caused power and water outages in several regions of the country.

"The high level of civilian casualties last month confirms a worrying trend this year of increasing violence in Ukraine, with hardly a day passing without civilians being killed or injured, especially in frontline communities," said HRMMU Head Danielle Belle. In its monthly report released on Thursday, the HRMMU said that 69 percent of civilian casualties in September occurred in areas close to the front line, with significant numbers recorded in Donetsk and Kherson regions in eastern Ukraine. At least 87 of the dead were elderly, as they are often the last residents in their communities.

For example, on 9 September, a Russian airstrike in the village of Yarova, Donetsk region, killed 25 civilians (16 women and 9 men) and injured at least 19 (13 women and six men). Most of the victims were receiving pensions near a postal van in the city center when the bomb fell nearby: 21 of the dead and 13 of the injured were over 60 years old.

It is noted that the main cause of civilian casualties near the front line remains strikes by short-range unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly FPV drones (first-person view drones). With almost 30 percent of all civilian casualties in September caused by this type of weapon, residents reported to the HRMMU that frequent attacks by short-range drones are making life increasingly dangerous and unbearable.

Further away from the front line, Russian attacks using missiles and loitering munitions have also continued throughout the month, causing another 30 percent of all civilian casualties across Ukraine – in 16 regions, including the capital Kyiv, as well as in cities hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

Some 97 percent of all civilian casualties occurred in government-controlled territory.

"The attacks carried out by the Russian Federation in September damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure at least 31 times, continuing an escalation that began in August 2025," the report said.

The UN noted that in Chernihiv region alone, energy infrastructure facilities were attacked at least 12 times, leading to temporary power outages in several areas and the subsequent introduction of emergency power outage schedules in October.

"Last night, another large-scale rocket attack on energy facilities across the country reportedly killed a seven-year-old boy, injured 34 civilians and caused power outages in several regions, including Kyiv," the mission said added.

In the first nine months of 2025, the number of civilian deaths and injuries in Ukraine increased by 31 percent compared to the same period in 2024. This significant increase shows no signs of slowing down. Since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the HRMMU has documented at least 14,383 civilian deaths, including 738 children, and 37,541 injuries, including 2,318 children.