Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, condemned recent Russian military strikes on civilian areas in Kyiv, which resulted in at least five deaths, including a 12-year-old girl. The attacks also disrupted essential services such as water supply and transportation in the capital.
Within approximately 24 hours, Russian forces launched nearly 800 drones and 56 missiles, including various ballistic and cruise missiles, marking one of the most intense assaults of the conflict. The strikes damaged residential buildings, a school, a veterinary clinic, and other civilian infrastructure, as well as energy facilities and port areas in other Ukrainian cities. Despite the dangers, UN aid workers joined rescue operations after the attacks.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, civilian casualties during the first four months of 2026 exceeded those in comparable periods over the previous three years. A major cause was the increased use of long-range weapons, which accounted for 43 percent of civilian casualties in April. UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed regret over the renewed large-scale attacks and stressed that expanded use of such weapons in populated areas worsens civilian harm. He called for immediate de-escalation to protect lives on both sides of the frontline.