Russian forces hammered Ukraine with ballistic missiles and long-range drones overnight on Tuesday, killing at least 17 civilians - mainly around Kyiv - and injuring another 44, the UN human rights office in Ukraine reported .
The latest Russian attacks mark an increasingly deadly escalation in the ongoing war, with July marking the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, according to the UN's aid coordination office ( OCHA ).
In the first six months of 2026, UN monitors confirmed 1,396 Ukrainian civilians killed and 7,978 injured - a sharp increase from the same period in both 2024 and 2025 as Russia increases long-range strikes past the frontline.
"With no cessation of the attacks, more families have been left devastated, displaced or struggling to rebuild their lives," said Matthias Schmale, the UN's humanitarian coordinator and top official in Ukraine.
Attacks beyond Kyiv
Multiple people were killed overnight on a railway platform in the Brovarskyi district, near Kyiv
Elsewhere in the country, aerial attacks and drone strikes hit the cities of Kramatorsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, killing and injuring dozens and destroying homes, schools, public transportation infrastructure, water systems and humanitarian warehouses.
"The increasing use of ballistic missiles and other long-range weapons in populated areas is contributing to rising civilian casualties and widespread damage to homes, businesses and other civilian infrastructure," said Danielle Bell, the UN's human rights chief in Ukraine.
The UN reported in February that some 3.7 million Ukrainians are still internally displaced, with 5.9 million living as refugees worldwide.
In Russia, Ukrainian long-range drone strikes killed at least 12 people - including children - across multiple cities on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
Mr. Schmale reiterated that all military forces, including those belonging to Russia and Ukraine, are bound by international law to take all necessary precautions to protect civilians.
Another winter of war
As 12.7 million Ukrainians require humanitarian assistance, countless UN agencies are deployed on the ground there to help protect refugees and ensure access to lifesaving services.
For example, UNHCR provides emergency shelters, cash assistance and housing repairs for internally displaced people and returnees.
The International Organization for Migration ( IOM ) provides cash assistance and humanitarian logistics, while Children's Fund UNICEF provides safe water, education and psychosocial support for Ukrainian children.
In July, the UN's humanitarian partners launched the Winter Response Plan to provide heating assistance, shelter repairs, health care, protection, food and cash assistance for the upcoming winter in Ukraine.
Ukrainian civilians suffered through a long winter of Russian attacks on critical energy infrastructure, according to the UN's country team in Ukraine .
Children continue to be killed in both countries, with three young Russians killed in a single attack on Tuesday and at least six youngsters killed during Russian attacks on Ukraine in the last week, according to UNICEF .
"UNICEF again calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law - including the protection of children and civilian infrastructure," UNICEF wrote in a Tuesday press release. "Attacks that kill and injure children must stop."
