UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned on Wednesday, August 6th, 2026, the deadliest Russian strikes on Kyiv this year, which killed 17 people and caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure overnight. This comes after the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the early days of the war.

Guterres expressed concern over recent strikes by both Russia and Ukraine, which have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, describing these as “a clear violation of international humanitarian law.” He noted an alarming pattern of escalating attacks against populated areas, leading to record-level civilian casualties and widespread destruction of residential and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and increasingly in the Russian Federation.

Attacks in Kharkiv and Donetsk overnight killed one and three people, respectively. Humanitarian workers are delivering shelter support, psychosocial assistance, and other aid to civilians affected by the strikes in Donetsk, according to the UN’s aid office (OCHA).

Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported that a Ukrainian strike on a warehouse killed five in the Moscow region on Tuesday, and a Ukrainian drone strike killed seven on a busy beach in the Krasnodar region on Monday.

With the frontline at a stalemate across eastern Ukraine since 2023, both countries have engaged in a long-range aerial battle: Russia targeting cities and energy infrastructure, and Ukraine targeting oil refineries and logistics warehouses.

Though Russian authorities have not released figures for the same six-month period, they claim more than 8,000 civilians have been killed since 2022, with at least 61 killed and 327 wounded by Ukrainian strikes in the last week of July.

In May, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) condemned repeated “deliberate” attacks by Russian forces on humanitarian warehouses, vehicles, distribution points, and other assets after identifying 84 such incidents.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for urgent de-escalation, urging a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire and a just, sustainable, and comprehensive peace in line with international law, including the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions.

Sources