It is unclear if Russia deliberately attacked the British and EU diplomatic delegations in the Ukrainian capital, or if the strikes were accidental.
On Thursday, the Russian military launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks against Ukraine in recent days. The munitions mainly targeted Kyiv, though other cities were targeted as well.
The latest attack against the Ukrainian capital resulted in the deaths of at least 23 people, including four children. 63 people were injured, including 11 children. The attack notably struck the European Union and British diplomatic delegations in Kyiv, where most Ukrainian embassies are based. No British or European civilians are known to have been killed or injured in the attacks.
“My thoughts are with all those affected by the senseless Russian strikes on Kyiv which have damaged the British Council building. Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end,” British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on X.
After the first round of strikes, the Russian military launched another wave of missiles and unmanned aerial systems against Ukraine on Friday morning, killing five civilians and injuring 26.
“Putin says he wants peace but he is stepping up attacks on Ukraine. I am thinking of those affected by the overnight strikes which killed innocent people and damaged a British Council building,” British Secretary of Defence John Healy stated.
“With allies, we’re putting pressure on Putin to bring a diplomatic end to the war,” Healy added.
Thus far in the conflict, the Russian military has shown poor targeting skills. Either that or the Russian forces are firing munitions indiscriminately, hitting civilian buildings, hospitals, shopping malls, churches, and schools.
Civilian Casualties Are Mounting in Ukraine
After Russian forces launched a failed attack on Kyiv from neighboring Belarus in early 2022, the Ukraine conflict has largely moved to the country’s south and east, and there remains a semblance of normal life in western cities. However, indiscriminate Russian bombing continues to take a toll. According to the United Nations’ Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, since the Kremlin launched its “special military operation” on February 24, 2022, at least 13,883 civilians, including 726 children, have been killed and 35,548, including 2,234 children, have been injured in the fighting.
Concerningly, civilian casualties continue to rise. July and August have been particularly deadly.
On the last day of July, the Russian forces launched one of their deadliest missile and drone attacks against Ukraine. The attack again focused on Kyiv and resulted in the highest verified number of civilian casualties in the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the war, with 31 Ukrainian civilians killed and 171 injured. Most of the casualties lived in a residential compound that was struck by a Russian missile.
“For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high,” Danielle Bell, Head of the UN’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said in a recent statement. “Only the first three months after the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine saw more killed and injured than in this past month.”
The Kremlin continues to rely on long-range munitions, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and suicide drones, to pressure Ukraine into a negotiated peace settlement. Ukraine uses drones to target military and logistics targets in Russia. Although the Ukrainian military is much better equipped to deal with Russia’s missiles and drones than it was at the start of the conflict, intercepting every Russian munition continues to be a challenge.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / Christopher rogel blanquet.
