Drones are now the leading cause of civilian deaths in the Ukraine conflict, says a UN report

Short-range aerial drones emerged as the leading cause of civilian casualties in Ukraine during January, according to a report from the U.N. monitoring mission released on Tuesday. This underscores the significant increase in drone usage over the three years of conflict with Russia. The mission reported that at least 139 civilians lost their lives and 738 were injured in January 2025, with short-range drones responsible for 27% of the fatalities and 30% of the injuries.

Overall, the U.N. estimates that nearly 12,500 civilians have died in the ongoing war, including 650 children. However, it has consistently noted that this figure likely underrepresents the true toll, as it only includes deaths verified by its teams.

Initially regarded as supplementary tools, aerial drones have evolved into critical weapons on the battlefield, with both Ukraine and Russia producing over a million units each in 2024. Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. monitoring mission, stated in a press release, “Our data reveals a troubling trend of short-range drones being deployed in ways that endanger civilian lives.”

She emphasized that the cameras equipped on these drones should enable operators to better differentiate between civilian and military targets, yet the number of civilian deaths remains alarmingly high. While Russia claims it does not intentionally target civilians, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of many thousands since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.