“With 21 civilians reported killed, 7 March was one of the deadliest days for civilians in Ukraine so far this year,” said UN mission chief Danielle Bell.

Russian’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 has killed thousands and displaced millions due to the continuous warfare.

The UN monitoring mission states that all the civilian deaths and 79 out of 81 injuries on 7 March happened in areas under Ukraine’s control. The mission is currently verifying the casualty numbers using its standard methodology.

Deadly attacks in Donetsk

The majority of the casualties took place in the Donetsk region, with an attack in Dobropillia town late evening on Friday that led to the deaths of 11 civilians and left 47 injured, including seven children, according to the UN mission report.

Local authorities stated that the attacks resulted in the destruction or severe damage to at least eight five-story residential buildings, one administrative building, and a shopping center.

Only two other days in 2025 have witnessed as many casualties, with local authorities reporting 21 civilian deaths on both 8 January and 1 February. The UN mission was able to verify 19 of these fatalities on both dates.

Despite fluctuations in casualty numbers in recent months, they continue to be higher than in 2024.

The UN monitoring mission will release its monthly protection of civilians update for February on its website on 11 March.