By Olha Chepil | 2025-08-08

Ten children injured in a single night. Two hundred thirty-two civilians killed in a single month, June. Russia's bombardment of Ukraine has reached its deadliest phase since the start of the full-scale war.

Russian strikes on Kyiv have intensified to an unprecedented level, with near-daily attacks hitting residential areas across the capital. In June alone, Russia launched 10 times more strikes on Ukraine than in the same month last year, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission.

The civilian death toll in June was the highest in a single month since the invasion began.

"Every night, in every city, drones and missiles fly into apartment buildings," Ihor Chalenko, director of Ukraine's Center for Analysis and Strategies, told Kontur.

The scale of the horror

The capital has been hit hard this summer, suffering near-nightly strikes on residential neighborhoods. At least 72 Kyiv dwellers, including six children, were killed in June and July, according to Ukrainian officials.

"We had 72 casualties in two months. In one stroke that is a third of everyone killed in three and a half years (228 in total)!" said Chalenko.

Russia is using combination attacks: waves of drones followed by missiles, then drones again, with a concluding barrage of missiles, say officials.

These large-scale strikes now occur weekly, said State Emergency Service spokeswoman Svetlana Vodolaga.

"[These attacks] are extremely intense and long-lasting," she told Kontur.

The extent of the damage has forced Kyiv to bring in emergency crews from neighboring provinces. On the night of July 31 alone, Russian attacks slammed more than 100 sites, including apartment buildings, schools, hospitals and a university.

The bombardment destroyed many apartment buildings and displaced their residents, said Chalenko.

"My brother's apartment was destroyed that night. During the explosion, a window frame almost hit him in the head. The outer walls are standing, but there is nothing left inside the apartment building. Everyone was resettled," he said.

Vladimir Putin feeds on fear

The Kremlin's goal is to apply psychological pressure on Ukrainians in hopes of forcing a surrender and compliance with Russian demands, according to Chalenko. Moscow wants civilians to turn against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, overthrow the government and welcome Russian troops, he said.

"This is the only aim of these attacks: psychological pressure," said Chalenko.

The strikes on civilian infrastructure are designed to break Ukrainians psychologically rather than defeat them militarily, say analysts.

"I think it's pressure on civilians to get them to say, 'That's it; we give up.' But they don't understand that Ukrainians are different. If only for the sake of remembering those who have died, we have no right to surrender," Maria Ananyeva, a Kyiv resident and school principal, told Kontur.

The attacks will not shake Ukrainians' resolve, Ananyeva, whose husband serves in the military, predicted.

"We are on our own land," she said. "We didn't attack anyone."

Innocent victims

The July 31 attack on Kyiv was the deadliest single night for the capital's children since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Ten children were injured and three killed, including six-year-old Matviy Marchenko, who had just finished first grade and attended a local karate club.

"So tiny. Little Matviy had just finished first grade at a neighboring school," recalled Ananyeva.

The strike killed sisters Alina and Anastasia Gumenyuk and their mother, Irina. The family had fled Makiivka, Donbas region, and resettled in Kyiv in 2022.

"The girls were just beautiful. ... Alina had such big eyes. I see them in front of me all the time now," Ananyeva, who was Alina's teacher, said.

She is now raising money for the girls' father, a soldier. Drones flew over the city until 3am, exhausting residents, said Ananyeva. After a lull in sirens, many went to sleep, unaware another wave of strikes was coming.

"My coworker says she arrived home with her children at night and simply 'switched off,' and did not hear this warning, the third alarm. She heard only the explosion. Shattered windows rained down on her children, but luckily there was a thick curtain. They were saved," said Ananyeva.

Civilian deaths continue to climb, and fear grips the capital.

"When the rescue workers carried out the children's bodies, all of Kyiv cried. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a vampire who feeds on these victims," said Chalenko.