Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv killed at least 14 civilians and injured more than 80 others overnight on Monday, according to local authorities.
The missile and drone attacks, which heavily damaged apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure, came just four days after another Russian attack that killed at least 30 civilians in Kyiv.
“As I visit the sites of the strikes to express solidarity, it is unbearable to witness the scale of human suffering,” said Matthias Schmale, the UN’s top aid official in Ukraine.
Mr. Schmale added that strikes in Dnipro, Kherson, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia have disrupted access to basic services.
The Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the latest attacks, stressing that any strikes involving civilians or civilian infrastructure, “wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.”
He reiterated his appeal for urgent de-escalation, leading to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Across Ukraine, an average of 170 civilians have been killed or injured each day in July thus far, with civilian casualties outpacing the rate seen last year, according to UN human rights officials in Ukraine.
Fighting over the weekend
Aside from the strikes on the Kyiv region, Russian missiles and drones also hit Odesa on Monday, damaging multiple homes and injuring one resident, local authorities reported.
The Russian military said on Friday that it had taken control of the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, but Ukrainian officials disputed this, saying that Ukrainian forces remained in control.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones struck ports and a large oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl overnight on Monday, and there is a power outage in occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s strikes could further strain Russia’s domestic oil supply, which has led to strict rationing.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly renewed his calls for more American-made Patriot interceptor missiles ahead of NATO’s summit in Ankara, Türkiye, which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Ukrainian military said that a shortage of interceptors meant that none of the 23 ballistic missiles targeting the capital had been shot down.
In response to the attack, Ukraine has requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council in New York.
Humanitarian response to Kyiv strikes
As civilian casualties continue to rise, the UN’s aid office in Ukraine aims to reach 4.12 million people with humanitarian assistance in 2026, focusing on frontline response, emergency assistance to those affected by strikes and protection for internally displaced persons.
The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) has provided cash assistance for winter needs, shelter repairs, energy support and help connecting displaced people with social services.
UN agencies continue to visit impact sites and follow up with authorities and hospitals to verify civilian casualties and document damage to civilian infrastructure.
“It cannot be repeated often enough that international humanitarian law requires taking every possible measure to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Mr. Schmale said. “Attacks that tear apart homes and take innocent lives must not be accepted.”