Archive · 23 Aug 2026
Ukraine-Russia Strikes Kill Civilians as UN Toll Rises
Russia and Ukraine carried out several new attacks during their ongoing war.
A Ukrainian drone hit a home in Russia’s Krasnodar region and killed two children.
Their parents were hurt and taken to a hospital.
Another Ukrainian drone attack in Samara killed one person and damaged an Ozon warehouse.
Russian attacks killed people in Kyiv and the Zaporizhzhia region.
A Russian drone attack on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih killed 16 people and injured more than 100.
Reports differed on how many people were still missing there, saying either three or nine.
Ukraine said another strike hit rescuers about half an hour after the first attack.
France and other allies said they would discuss more support and air-defence equipment for Ukraine.
A Ukrainian drone strike killed two children and injured their parents in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
A separate Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Russia’s Samara region and hit an Ozon warehouse.
Russian strikes killed people in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih, including 16 at a shopping centre.
More than 100 people were wounded and between three and nine people were reported missing after the Kryvyi Rih attack.
The United Nations reported Ukraine’s civilian death toll this year had reached its highest level since the war’s first months.
- Who
- Ukrainian and Russian forces, civilians in Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian officials, and Ukraine’s international allies.
- What
- A series of Ukrainian and Russian drone and missile strikes caused civilian deaths, injuries, destruction and missing persons.
- When
- The reported Ukrainian and Russian attacks took place on Saturday and overnight, after the shopping-centre strike on Friday afternoon.
- Where
- The attacks occurred in Russia’s Krasnodar and Samara regions, and in Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine.
- Why
- The attacks occurred amid an escalation in the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict; Ukraine’s allies were also preparing measures to strengthen its air defences and increase pressure on Moscow.
Ukrainian officials and allies
Russian officials
Responsibility for civilian casualties
Ukrainian officials and allies
Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes killed people near Kyiv and in Zaporizhzhia, while a Russian drone attack on a Kryvyi Rih shopping centre killed 16 and wounded more than 100.
Russian officials
Russian officials said Ukrainian drone strikes killed two children in Krasnodar region and one person in Samara.
Characterization of the attacks
Ukrainian officials and allies
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the second strike near the Kryvyi Rih shopping centre as a cynical and despicable attempt to kill first responders.
Russian officials
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev described the strike on residential areas as a vile and cynical attack on civilian infrastructure and homes.
Military targets and air defence
Ukrainian officials and allies
Ukraine and its allies said stronger air defences were needed because Russian ballistic missiles are difficult to intercept; Russia said it targeted trucks for transporting long-range drones near Kyiv and Ukrainian military-linked sites in Odesa.
Russian officials
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its strikes targeted military-related equipment and sites rather than describing them as attacks on civilian areas.
- Deaths in Krasnodar region
- Two children were killed and their parents were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Yeysk district.
- Other reported Russian deaths
- One person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Samara region.
- Kryvyi Rih shopping-centre attack
- A Russian drone strike killed 16 people and wounded more than 100.
- Missing-person discrepancy
- Reports said either three or nine people remained missing at the Kryvyi Rih shopping centre.
- Other Ukrainian casualties
- Russian strikes reportedly killed two people near Kyiv and at least four in the Zaporizhzhia region; three people were wounded in Odesa.
- Industrial and commercial targets
- A Ukrainian drone attack hit an Ozon warehouse, following reported strikes on Wildberries facilities.
- International support
- France pledged additional interceptor missiles, while Ukraine’s allies planned video talks on Monday about support and pressure on Moscow.
