Recent from talks
Action on Armed Violence
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Action on Armed Violence
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) is a London-based non-governmental organization conducting research and advocacy on the incidence and impact of global armed violence.
Iain Overton, an investigative journalist and author, is the Executive Director of the organisation.
AOAV's research and advocacy work is focused on global armed violence, with a specialisation in explosive weapons. One of the charity's core functions is its Explosive Violence Monitor. This monitor has been cited by organisations such as Reuters, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations.
In December 2020, AOAV's data was reported in The Guardian as showing that British soldiers were 12% more likely to have been killed than their American counterparts during the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study of casualty figures. The research – intended as a lessons learned exercise – also concluded that UK forces were 26% more likely to have been killed by improvised explosives, validating longstanding complaints about the poorly armoured Snatch Land Rover.
In May 2021, AOAV's explosive violence data was also reported in The Guardian as showing that "Civilians accounted for 91% of those killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas worldwide over the last 10 years – a total of 238,892 people – according to a study of thousands of incidents."
In February 2026, The Guardian reported AOAV data showing that civilian casualties from explosive violence in Ukraine had risen by 26% in 2025. AOAV recorded 2,248 civilians killed and 12,493 injured during the year, based on English-language reports of explosive-violence incidents. The organisation also found that the average number of civilians killed or injured per incident had increased by 33% compared with 2024, to 4.8 casualties per strike. AOAV identified a Russian missile attack on Dnipro on 24 June 2025, which killed 21 people and injured 314, as the deadliest incident in its dataset that year.
The same research recorded 45,358 civilian casualties from explosive weapons worldwide in 2025, comprising 17,589 people killed and 27,769 injured. This represented a 26% fall from 2024. AOAV attributed 35% of the recorded civilian casualties to Israeli military action and 32% to Russian military action, with Sudan and Myanmar among the other countries recording high levels of civilian harm.
In March 2019, AOAV was reported by the BBC as finding out that the RAF killed or injured 4,315 enemy fighters in Iraq and Syria between September 2014 and January 2019. Of those harmed, 4,013, or 93%, were killed, and 302, or 7%, were injured. The UK's Ministry of Defence had said only one civilian was killed in the airstrikes, according to figures released to the charity. However AOAV expressed scepticism at such a low rate of civilian casualties.
Hub AI
Action on Armed Violence AI simulator
(@Action on Armed Violence_simulator)
Action on Armed Violence
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) is a London-based non-governmental organization conducting research and advocacy on the incidence and impact of global armed violence.
Iain Overton, an investigative journalist and author, is the Executive Director of the organisation.
AOAV's research and advocacy work is focused on global armed violence, with a specialisation in explosive weapons. One of the charity's core functions is its Explosive Violence Monitor. This monitor has been cited by organisations such as Reuters, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations.
In December 2020, AOAV's data was reported in The Guardian as showing that British soldiers were 12% more likely to have been killed than their American counterparts during the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study of casualty figures. The research – intended as a lessons learned exercise – also concluded that UK forces were 26% more likely to have been killed by improvised explosives, validating longstanding complaints about the poorly armoured Snatch Land Rover.
In May 2021, AOAV's explosive violence data was also reported in The Guardian as showing that "Civilians accounted for 91% of those killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas worldwide over the last 10 years – a total of 238,892 people – according to a study of thousands of incidents."
In February 2026, The Guardian reported AOAV data showing that civilian casualties from explosive violence in Ukraine had risen by 26% in 2025. AOAV recorded 2,248 civilians killed and 12,493 injured during the year, based on English-language reports of explosive-violence incidents. The organisation also found that the average number of civilians killed or injured per incident had increased by 33% compared with 2024, to 4.8 casualties per strike. AOAV identified a Russian missile attack on Dnipro on 24 June 2025, which killed 21 people and injured 314, as the deadliest incident in its dataset that year.
The same research recorded 45,358 civilian casualties from explosive weapons worldwide in 2025, comprising 17,589 people killed and 27,769 injured. This represented a 26% fall from 2024. AOAV attributed 35% of the recorded civilian casualties to Israeli military action and 32% to Russian military action, with Sudan and Myanmar among the other countries recording high levels of civilian harm.
In March 2019, AOAV was reported by the BBC as finding out that the RAF killed or injured 4,315 enemy fighters in Iraq and Syria between September 2014 and January 2019. Of those harmed, 4,013, or 93%, were killed, and 302, or 7%, were injured. The UK's Ministry of Defence had said only one civilian was killed in the airstrikes, according to figures released to the charity. However AOAV expressed scepticism at such a low rate of civilian casualties.
Recent media