The first six months of 2026 saw a steep rise in the number of civilians killed or wounded in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the UN said Tuesday. Both Moscow and Kyiv have increased the number of air strikes targeting vital infrastructure as the Russian invasion grinds into its fifth year.
Issued on: 21/07/2026
By: FRANCE 24
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire of residential building following a Russian air attack in Sumy, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. © Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP
The United Nations said Tuesday that civilian casualties in the war raging between Russia and Ukraine rose 37 percent in the first half of this year.
"We documented 1,396 civilians killed (and) 7,978 injured ... that amounts to a 37 percent increase from the same period in the previous year," Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva.
Russia and Ukraine – which deny targeting civilians – have stepped up daily strikes on each other in recent months, as US-led talks on ending the nearly four-and-a-half year conflict remain stalled.
The UN rights office decried multiple attacks in recent days causing civilian casualties across Ukraine and in Russia.
"Civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly protected under international humanitarian law, and any such deliberate attack is a war crime," spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters.
The United Nations said Tuesday that civilian casualties in the war raging between Russia and Ukraine rose 37 percent in the first half of this year.
"We documented 1,396 civilians killed (and) 7,978 injured ... that amounts to a 37 percent increase from the same period in the previous year," Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva.
Russia and Ukraine – which deny targeting civilians – have stepped up daily strikes on each other in recent months, as US-led talks on ending the nearly four-and-a-half year conflict remain stalled.
The UN rights office decried multiple attacks in recent days causing civilian casualties across Ukraine and in Russia.
"Civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly protected under international humanitarian law, and any such deliberate attack is a war crime," spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters.
Russia has pounded Ukraine's capital with a series of deadly missile strikes this summer, with June seeing the most civilian casualties in Ukraine since 2022.
Ukraine has also stepped up its long-range strikes on Russian infrastructure in an attempt to undermine Moscow's war effort, including oil depots and refineries.
A Ukrainian drone attack on two key warehouses of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries killed eight night-shift workers Saturday. Kyiv accused the facilities of supplying the Russian military with Western-sanctioned drone components, which Moscow has denied.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Ukraine plunges into political crisis as anger over defence minister's dismissal grow
Issued on: 21/07/2026 - FRANCE24
Street protests were held for a fifth day on July 19 in Ukraine, over the firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov was dismissed following frequent clashes with top Army general Oleksandr Syrsky, sparking indignation particularly among young Ukrainians, who credit the tech-savvy 35-year old Fedorov with innovative drone tactics that have given Ukraine new battlefield momentum against the Russian invasion. Fedorov has publicly blamed the 60-year-old Syrsky for his ouster. President Volodymyr Zelensky is now seeking to defuse the mounting political crisis and restore unity to the country's military.
Issued on: 21/07/2026 - FRANCE24
Street protests were held for a fifth day on July 19 in Ukraine, over the firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov was dismissed following frequent clashes with top Army general Oleksandr Syrsky, sparking indignation particularly among young Ukrainians, who credit the tech-savvy 35-year old Fedorov with innovative drone tactics that have given Ukraine new battlefield momentum against the Russian invasion. Fedorov has publicly blamed the 60-year-old Syrsky for his ouster. President Volodymyr Zelensky is now seeking to defuse the mounting political crisis and restore unity to the country's military.
Video by: Bryan QUINN
No comments:
Post a Comment