UN condemns russian ballistic missile strikes on densely populated areas

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has condemned the civilian casualties caused by the aggressor state of russia's deadly missile strikes on Ukraine

This is announced in the HRMMU statement.

Thus, the agency emphasized that at least 24 people were killed and more than 300 were injured, including 32 children, as a result of ballistic missile strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa Regions of Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday. The attacks destroyed homes, schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, and hundreds of people were injured.

"The attacks took place in the daytime, when civilians were at work, on trains or in schools. This time alone made the large number of civilian casualties quite predictable," HRMMU head Danielle Bell said.

In particular, on June 23, two ballistic missiles launched by russian forces hit lyceum No. 1, a secondary school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region. The UN noted that the school year had ended, staff and students were present for administrative work - as a result of the shelling, three teachers were killed and 14 were injured, including two boys. The school, which was home to more than 700 students, was also critically damaged.

It is noted that the HRMMU, which visited the sites of the shelling, found no signs of the presence of military personnel at the school, and people confirmed that there were no military personnel there.

"The school in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was not a military facility. However, it was hit by two ballistic missiles, killing teachers and injuring children," Bell said.

And on June 24, missiles hit the industrial zone of Dnipro at around 11 am local time. The blast wave shattered windows in schools, hospitals, and residential buildings located nearby.

The HRMMU confirmed that two hostels were hit, injuring numerous residents. A passenger train passing nearby was also hit, with the shock wave shattering windows, injuring more than 20 passengers, according to a UN observer on board.

These strikes followed a series of other attacks in June that caused significant civilian casualties, including in Kyiv on June 17 and 23, according to the human rights mission. The number of civilian casualties in the first five months of 2025 was almost 50% higher than in the same period last year, with increases typically seen in the summer months.

"Ballistic missiles, when used in densely populated areas, cause predictable and widespread harm to civilians, as these recent attacks have demonstrated. The increasing number of civilian casualties demonstrates the seriousness of this risk," Bell said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the death toll from a russian missile attack on June 24 in the city of Dnipro has risen to 20, with the killed in the city of Samar - 22.