Russian attacks in recent days on on Ukraine's two largest cities have again killed and injured civilians, damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
Aid workers and rescuers were on the ground in Kyiv and Kharkiv following aerial strikes that killed residents and injured dozens of others, according to OCHA .
Among those affected is a girl whose mother was killed during one attack. Across Kyiv, one civilian was reported killed and 11 injured.
Aid workers are providing shelter materials as well as psychological and legal support, to help meet immediate civilian needs.
The Ukrainian Red Cross said its emergency response team helped rescue eight people following a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine - close to the Russian border - and an assistance point has been set up for those affected.
No energy ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that Russia had attacked Ukraine overnight with more than 100 drones, loitering munitions and ballistic missiles.
In Kharkiv, a residential building was destroyed and four were killed, with rescuers searching for people under the rubble virtually all night, he reported. Forty-one people were injured in the city in a single evening.
Kyiv was hit by five ballistic missiles that struck civilian infrastructure, the Ukrainian president added.
He maintained that Ukraine had not carried out strikes on Russian oil refineries or the energy sector since the US President announced an energy ceasefire two days earlier, but that Russia had continued to attack Ukraine's energy facilities.
Ukraine is ready for reciprocal steps towards de-escalation, he said. According to news reports, Russia has said "contacts are ongoing", without providing any details on the potential ceasefire.
Children paying the price
The toll on children continues to rise. Over the weekend, six children were reportedly killed and 11 injured, the UN Children's Fund ( UNICEF ) said on Monday.
"More children killed, more families facing unimaginable loss. This violence must not become the new normal," the agency said.
Restoring services in Mykolaiv
Meanwhile, in the Mykolaiv region, the UN project services agency in the field, UNOPS , is working with local authorities to restore damaged public facilities, with more than $20 million in funding from Denmark.
The initiative includes restoring the historic Arkas Lyceum in central Mykolaiv and major repairs to a lyceum in the frontline community of Snihurivka, with both projects building underground shelters so children can study safely during air alerts.
UNOPS is also delivering school buses, emergency and firefighting vehicles, waste management trucks and medical equipment, and training local officials in procurement and project management.
"Children need safe schools, patients need quality healthcare and families need dependable utilities," said Marysia Zapasnik, UNOPS programme head in the region.
