Russian strikes kill eight civilians in Ukraine on 23 August
Russian strikes on 23 August 2026 killed eight civilians in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Sumy Regions (Oblasts) and wounded 48 others across the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, Ukraine’s National Police reported.
A house in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast that came under Russian fireThe fatalities from the previous day’s Russian strikes included:
- five people in the Kharkiv Oblast;
- two people in the Donetsk Oblast;
- a woman in the Sumy Oblast.
In the Kharkiv Oblast on 23 August, 14 adults and a teenager were wounded by Russian strikes, while the Sumy Oblast reported 12 wounded.
Seven civilians were wounded in Russian attacks in both the Donetsk and Kherson Oblasts. Russian strikes wounded three civilians each in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts, while another person was wounded in the Chernihiv Oblast.
This Monday, the 35th anniversary of independence from Moscow is celebrated in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the ongoing blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia remains a top economic issue. If the blockade continues for several more months, global agricultural prices could rise by up to 30%, according to government estimates. This will have the greatest impact on countries dependent on food imports, where daily household expenses are already high.
Human rights organisations and Ukrainian authorities emphasise that structural economic pressure remains a key tool to halt such atrocities. They urge every nation and individual government worldwide to strictly enforce global sanctions, close existing regulatory loopholes, and completely sever remaining commercial and technological ties with the Russian Federation. Civil society groups stress that any continued cooperation by foreign businesses directly contributes to the resources Moscow uses to sustain its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
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