Bomb-damaged buildings in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv
This article is published in association with United Nations.
Russian drone strikes on Ukraine overnight including in the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia reportedly killed at least 14 people – including three children.
The development came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of European leaders arrived in Washington on Monday to meet President Donald Trump, who held talks on a possible peace deal to end the war with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Alaska last Friday.
Responding to questions at the regular daily briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General António Guterres was watching events in the US capital closely.
“We remain deeply concerned over the continuing deadly Russian attacks that we have seen across Ukraine. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty independence, territorial integrity, within it’s internationally recognised borders in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions,” he said.
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“We of course must stand ready to support any meaningful efforts towards that end.”
UNICEF calls for end to attacks
“More young lives lost and devastated in brutal attacks in Ukraine,” UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said in an online post condemning the attacks. “End attacks on populated areas. Protect children.”
Footage released by the Ukrainian authorities showed an apartment complex in Kharkiv with a massive hole in the shattered roof and upper floors, where fires had been extinguished.
Kharkiv is located in the northeast of the country and just 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from the Russian border. Ukraine’s second city has suffered heavy destruction and repeated shelling since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022.
Meanwhile, a separate Russian attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia left three dead and approximately 20 injured, according to the Ukrainian authorities, who said they had shot down 88 drones and missiles launched overnight.
A recent update from UN human rights monitors in Ukraine noted that July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in the country since May 2022, with 286 killed and 1,388 injured.
“Aerial bombs caused the biggest rise [and] short-range drones made up 24 per cent of casualties,” said the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).
Russian troops’ push
The increase in the number of civilian casualties between June and July 2025 mainly took place in areas controlled by the Ukrainian Government along frontlines. This indicated the “intensive military efforts by Russian armed forces to capture territory”, the UN monitors explained.
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And although long-range missile strikes and other munitions caused about 20 per cent fewer casualties in July compared with June, they were responsible for almost 40 per cent of all non-combatant deaths and injuries, including in the cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv.
Short-range drones were the second leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for nearly one in four death and injuries (64 killed and 337 injured), said HRMMU.
As in June, nearly all civilian casualties (98 per cent) occurred in areas controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. Civilian casualties were recorded across 18 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.
In villages and towns near the frontline, civilians are finding it increasingly difficult to access basic services.
Older persons increasingly cut off
“In many frontline villages, older persons and people with disabilities are living without medicine, electricity, or even clean water,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “Intensifying short-range drone attacks and the coming winter are compounding fear and hardship, disproportionately affecting those most vulnerable.”
With the frontline edging closer, many cities and villages, such as Bilozerske and Dobropillia in Donetsk region, have experienced intense attacks over the past two weeks. In Bilozerske, the local hospital closed down last week, along with pharmacies and banks. Only non-potable water is available, and the electricity supply is frequently interrupted.
Most of those remaining in frontline villages are older persons who face disproportionately high risks of being killed or injured.
HRMMU documented that people aged 60 years and above accounted for over 43 percent of the civilians killed in frontline areas in 2025, despite representing only 25 percent of Ukraine’s general population.
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