In the first eight months of 2026, on average, over 400 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine every week, an increase of 55% compared to the same period in 2025. This was stated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. Turk's office documented 15,280 civilians killed or injured in the first eight months of the year as Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure intensified. On the front line, the bureau found that nearly 2,500 civilians were killed or wounded by Russian airstrikes in the same period, 62 percent more than the previous year.
Moscow admits attacking the Severny road bridge over the Dnieper River, called the Kiev North Bridge. “We hit infrastructure and ships used to let Ukrainian troops pass,” confirms the Foreign Ministry. Russia issues a new warning to diplomats and foreign citizens to leave Kiev.
We will increase attacks on refineries in response to the escalation. We have documents that prove Putin's new doctrine against civilian targets,” Zelensky replies.
Meanwhile, Ukraine would need "up to 70 billion euros more than expected" in 2027 to continue resisting the Russian invasion.
"First of all, Russian oil refineries." Volodymyr Zelensky indicates possible targets of Ukrainian retaliation for Moscow's attacks on Kiev's energy infrastructure. The Ukrainian president spoke about it in an interview with Reuters, relaunched on his X account. "We have to respond somehow to their attacks on our energy. We must respond on their energy: first of all, oil refineries and everything that brings them money for this war", said Zelensky. The Ukrainian president, however, ruled out attacks against civilian targets: "We will not respond, of course, as they do, against civilian targets. We cannot do this, because we are another people."
A sailor died and three other crew members were injured in a Russian attack on a civilian cargo ship flying the Liberian flag in a port near Odessa, on the Black Sea. This was reported by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, cited by the Kyiv Independent, specifying that the victim was an engineer and that 13 other crew members were evacuated. "It is yet another deliberate attack by Russia against civilian shipping. Moscow continues to terrorize the merchant fleet and sailors who risk their lives every day to ensure the functioning of Ukrainian sea routes," the authority denounced. The attack comes as international pressure grows on Moscow to stop attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and allow the transit of grain exports from Ukraine. According to Kiev, in recent months Russia has intensified attacks against merchant ships and Ukrainian port infrastructure. On September 17, a Russian drone struck a flagged civilian ship of Tanzania headed for a Ukrainian port, killing the captain and wounding three other crew members.
In the first eight months of 2026, on average, over 400 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine every week, an increase of 55% compared to the same period in 2025. This was stated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. Turk's office documented 15,280 civilians killed or injured in the first eight months of the year as Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure intensified. On the front line, the bureau found that nearly 2,500 civilians were killed or wounded by Russian airstrikes in the same period, 62 percent more than the previous year. “The war in Ukraine is a human rights catastrophe that grows and intensifies week by week, causing unimaginable suffering to civilians and threatening an even greater disaster across the region,” Türk said.
Iran plays a key role in ensuring security in the Strait of Hormuz, both geographically and under international law. This was stated by Dmitry Medvedev, vice-president of the Russian Security Council, in an interview with the Iranian broadcaster Irib. Tass reports it. "Iran plays a key role in ensuring security in the Strait of Hormuz. This is enshrined in both geography and the current system of international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international documents. And I think Iran is performing this task well," he said. Russia hopes that the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb will operate regularly, Medvedev added. “However, every action must be based on normal and comprehensive agreements, rather than force,” he concluded.
The first underground kindergarten opened in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced this on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform. "Near the front line, the first underground kindergarten opened. Now, 115 children will be able to learn, play and eat throughout the day in a safe environment," Koretskyi said. According to the prime minister, the underground facility - equipped with radiation protection and covering more than 900 square meters - is designed to accommodate 140 people and is accessible to children with special educational needs. "Together with local authorities, we are working to create conditions for a safe educational environment in the face of the continuing Russian threat. Especially in cities and communities located near the front," he stressed. The one in Zaporizhzhia is the second underground kindergarten opened in Ukraine, the first, called "Mobil" and designed to accommodate 260 children, came into operation in the community of Pisochna, in the Kharkiv region, at the beginning of the current school year.
