Kiev, Ukraine (AP) — Civilian Casualties from Russian Attacks
On Tuesday, officials reported that Russian drones, missiles, and artillery strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 24 civilians in Ukraine, with over 200 individuals injured. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks assurances at the NATO summit regarding continued Western support amid the ongoing conflict initiated by the Russian invasion.
The war, now in its fourth year, has seen the Russian military relentlessly targeting civilian areas in Ukraine, leading to more than 12,000 civilian deaths, as per United Nations figures. In response, Ukraine has launched long-range drone attacks against Russia, targeting residential areas.
Zelensky was set to meet with Western leaders at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, looking to secure more military assistance for Ukraine’s fight against the larger Russian forces. Direct peace talks have stalled with little indication of progress toward resolution.
Experts suggest that the substantial military support from the Biden administration might run out in a few months, raising concerns about whether U.S. President Donald Trump would extend additional assistance.
Just after noon on Tuesday, a ballistic missile attack struck multiple civilian sites in Dnipro, a central Ukrainian city, resulting in 15 deaths and at least 174 injuries, according to officials.
In the adjacent town of Samar, the assault claimed two additional lives and left 14 more injured, as reported by Seleguri, a local government head.
Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov noted that the barrage caused damage to 19 schools, 10 kindergartens, vocational, and music schools, as well as social welfare offices and eight medical facilities. One explosion shattered the windows of a passenger train carrying around 500 people, but schools were on summer break at the time.
In a Telegram post, Zelensky highlighted that Russia is utilizing foreign components for ballistic missile construction and urged nations to prevent access to the Kremlin by intensifying sanctions against Russia.
According to Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional governor, Russia also targeted residential areas and crucial infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing four civilians and injuring at least 11 more.
In the northeastern Smee region, a drone attack late Monday left three civilians dead, including a five-year-old boy, and injured six others, local authorities stated.
Those hurt included two 17-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defense forces intercepted 20 Ukrainian drones overnight, claiming to have shot down 14 in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, and two approaching Moscow Oblast.
One drone reportedly crashed into a residential tower on the outskirts of Moscow, igniting a fire on the 17th floor, injuring a 34-year-old resident. Two additional drones were downed near Moscow, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
As a precaution, air traffic was briefly suspended at two major Moscow airports, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo, as confirmed by the Russian Aviation Authority Rozaviatsyya.
