Ukraine reels from one of the deadliest days of war

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

Russian’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 has killed thousands and left millions displaced by the ongoing war.

The UN monitoring mission said all the civilian deaths and 79 of the 81 injured on 7 March occurred in territory controlled by Ukraine. Right now, the mission is working to verify the casualty numbers according to its standard methodology.

Deadly attacks in Donetsk

Most of the casualties occurred in Donetsk region, including in Dobropillia town where a Russian attack with multiple weapons late on Friday evening killed 11 civilians and injured 47, including seven children, the UN mission reported.

According to local authorities, the attacks destroyed or heavily damaged at least eight five-story residential buildings, an administrative building and a shopping centre.

Only two other days in 2025 have seen as many people killed, the UN monitoring mission said. Local authorities reported 21 civilians killed on both 8 January and 1 February. For both dates, the UN mission was able to verify 19 of them.

Though casualty numbers have fluctuated over recent months, they overall remain higher than in 2024.

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