MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - July marked the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since Russia attacked the country more than four years ago, according to the UN's aid coordination office.
In the first six months of 2026, UN monitors confirmed 1,396 Ukrainian civilians killed and 7,978 injured - a sharp increase from the same period in both 2024 and 2025 as Russia increases long-range strikes past the frontline.
'With no cessation of the attacks, more families have been left devastated, displaced or struggling to rebuild their lives,' said Matthias Schmale, the UN's humanitarian coordinator and top official in Ukraine.
Russian forces hammered Ukraine with ballistic missiles and long-range drones overnight on Tuesday, killing at least 17 civilians - mainly around Kyiv - and injuring another 44.
Elsewhere in the country, aerial attacks and drone strikes hit the cities of Kramatorsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, killing and injuring dozens and destroying homes, schools, public transportation infrastructure, water systems and humanitarian warehouses.
The latest Russian attacks mark an increasingly deadly escalation in the ongoing war.
'The increasing use of ballistic missiles and other long-range weapons in populated areas is contributing to rising civilian casualties and widespread damage to homes, businesses and other civilian infrastructure,' said Danielle Bell, the UN's human rights chief in Ukraine.
The latest Russian attacks mark an increasingly deadly escalation in the ongoing war.
The UN reported in February that some 3.7 million Ukrainians are still internally displaced, with 5.9 million living as refugees worldwide.
In Russia, Ukrainian long-range drone strikes killed at least 12 people - including children - across multiple cities on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
Schmale reiterated that all military forces, including those belonging to Russia and Ukraine, are bound by international law to take all necessary precautions to protect civilians.
Ukrainian civilians suffered through a long winter of Russian attacks on critical energy infrastructure, according to the UN's country team in Ukraine.
Children continue to be killed in both countries, with three young Russians killed in a single attack on Tuesday and at least six youngsters killed during Russian attacks on Ukraine in the last week, according to UNICEF.
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