All articles tagged with #civiliancasualties
The United Nations says 2,514 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 12,142 injured in 2025, the deadliest year for civilians since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, with casualties 31% higher than 2024 and 70% higher than 2023 as Russia escalated air strikes with drones and missiles.
Russia launched a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine, resulting in at least 27 civilian deaths and numerous injuries across several regions, including Sumy and Odesa. The U.S. has authorized Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles, potentially escalating the conflict. Despite the attacks, Ukraine's air defenses neutralized many threats, and the country continues to receive significant international financial support. The conflict has seen increased civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, with Ukraine focusing on enhancing its military capabilities, particularly in drone and missile technology.
A Russian missile strike, reportedly involving S-300 missiles, hit the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, killing 11 people, including five children. The regional governor accused Russia of targeting civilians, an act condemned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening address. Despite the ongoing conflict and official warnings, some residents have been returning to the town, which is situated northwest of the Russian-occupied Donetsk city. Russia has not yet commented on the attack.
An Israeli strike in a declared safe zone in southern Gaza killed at least 12 people, mostly children, amid ongoing Israeli military operations against Hamas. The conflict has resulted in over 22,400 deaths, with a significant civilian toll, and has displaced the majority of Gaza's population. Despite the high casualties and destruction, Israel continues to target Hamas infrastructure and militants, with the recent strike raising concerns of an expanded conflict in the Middle East. U.S. diplomatic efforts are underway as regional tensions escalate, but humanitarian crises and public health disasters loom in Gaza due to the prolonged conflict.
Russia conducted a large missile and drone attack on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, resulting in five deaths and 127 injuries. Residential areas and infrastructure were hit, leaving many, like Iryna Karetnykova and Viktor Tyschenko, homeless. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reported that the country's defenses shot down 70 of nearly 100 Russian missiles. The attacks followed a holiday weekend of assaults and a vow from Russian President Putin to intensify strikes in response to a drone attack on a western Russian city.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have begun withdrawing some troops from Gaza amidst ongoing conflict with Hamas, with the IDF securing a Hamas intelligence center and engaging in close-quarter combat in Gaza City. The Gaza death toll has risen to over 22,000, with recent bombardments killing several people at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society headquarters in Khan Younis. Israel's Supreme Court has struck down a government plan to limit judicial powers, potentially reigniting domestic tensions. The IDF anticipates warfare in Gaza to continue throughout 2024, even as it starts to reduce troop numbers in the territory. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Syrian army targets have been struck by Israeli jets in response to cross-border fire, and the US has been pressing Israel to move towards a more targeted phase of fighting against Hamas.
Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles struck Ukraine's largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, resulting in at least four civilian deaths and nearly 100 injuries. The attacks, which involved the advanced Kinzhal missiles, targeted military industrial facilities and depots, according to Russia, but also hit civilian areas. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reported that air defense systems helped shoot down many of the missiles, saving lives. The strikes are part of a larger pattern of intensified bombardment as the war nears its two-year mark, with both sides reporting significant attacks and casualties.
Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities faced a large-scale missile attack by Russia, with the Ukrainian Air Force reporting the use of powerful weapons, including hypersonic missiles. The assault resulted in civilian casualties, with at least one death and 43 injuries in Kyiv, and additional fatalities and injuries in the Fastiv region and Kharkiv. The attack caused significant damage to infrastructure, with buildings hit, fires ignited, and power outages reported. This aggressive action follows a promise of retaliation by Russian President Vladimir Putin after a Ukrainian assault on a Russian city.
On the 676th day of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia conducted heavy bombardments on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to residential areas. Ukraine's air defense systems were activated in response to drone attacks. In retaliation, Ukraine struck the Russian city of Belgorod, claiming to target military sites, while Russia faced increased troop casualties in 2023 due to military degradation. Meanwhile, Russia refused to explain the presence of a missile in Polish airspace without concrete evidence of its origin.
The Israeli military's bombardment of Gaza has resulted in the destruction of over 70% of homes in the area, with experts comparing the devastation to historic bombing campaigns such as Dresden. The offensive has been one of the deadliest in recent history, killing over 21,500 people, including a high percentage of civilians, and displacing over 90% of the population. Criticism has arisen over the use of US-made munitions, including imprecise "dumb" bombs and potentially banned white phosphorous, though Israel denies the latter. Despite the high civilian toll, the Israeli army maintains that its strikes comply with international law.
U.S. official John Kelley addressed the UN Security Council, highlighting the impact of the war on ordinary Russian civilians in the wake of an alleged attack on Belgorod, which Russia claims resulted in civilian deaths. Kelley called for transparency from Putin regarding the war's toll and reiterated that Russia is responsible for the conflict. The meeting followed a series of attacks, including a massive Russian strike on Ukraine and a reported Ukrainian response in Belgorod, though Ukraine has not confirmed responsibility for the latter. The situation underscores the escalating violence and its broader human cost.
A shelling attack in the Russian city of Belgorod killed 21 people, including three children, with 110 others wounded, marking one of the deadliest incidents on Russian territory since the invasion of Ukraine began. Russia accused Kyiv of the attack, which followed a large-scale Russian aerial bombardment across Ukraine that killed at least 41 civilians. The Kremlin has been briefed, and Russian diplomats are seeking a U.N. Security Council meeting, while Moscow continues its own drone strikes in Ukraine.
A shelling attack in the Russian city of Belgorod killed 21 people, including three children, with 110 others wounded, marking one of the deadliest incidents on Russian soil since the invasion of Ukraine began. The attack followed a large-scale aerial bombardment by Russia across Ukraine, which resulted in at least 41 civilian deaths. Russia accused Ukraine of the Belgorod attack, using Czech-made rockets, and called for a U.N. Security Council meeting, while the Ukrainian side has not claimed responsibility. The ongoing conflict has seen continued aerial strikes and cross-border tensions, with concerns raised by neighboring countries over airspace violations.
The UK has condemned Russia's indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian civilians at the UN Security Council, rejecting any equivalence between Russian military actions in Ukraine and Ukrainian strikes in Russia. The UK emphasized that Russia's invasion is the root cause of the conflict and holds President Putin responsible for the deaths of Russian servicemen and women, as well as Ukrainian civilians, including children. The UK stands with Ukraine and urges Russia to respect the UN Charter and end the war by withdrawing its forces.
Russia has accused Ukraine of a deadly attack on the city of Belgorod, close to the Ukrainian border, resulting in at least 18 deaths and over 100 injuries. The Russian Defense Ministry has promised retaliation, and the Kremlin has informed President Putin and requested a U.N. Security Council meeting. Ukrainian President Zelensky has not directly commented on the attack but emphasized Ukraine's resolve to strengthen its air defense and push the war back to Russia. The attack on Belgorod involved Czech-made rockets and missiles, and it was followed by a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case to investigate the incident.