Russian shelling kills nine civilians and injures at least 69 across Ukraine on 16 September
Russian military shelling on 16 September 2026 killed nine civilians in the Sumy, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk Regions (Oblasts), and injured at least 69 more, including in Kyiv and the Odesa, Kharkiv and Kirovohrad Oblasts, the National Police reported.
The fatal victims of the Russian strikes on 16 September were:
- a teenager in the Sumy Oblast;
- a man and a woman in the Zhytomyr Oblast;
- three people in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast;
- an elderly moped driver targeted by a Russian drone in the Kherson Oblast;
- a woman in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast;
- one person in the Donetsk Oblast.
In Kyiv, a total of 18 civilians were injured as a result of a Russian strike, with the aftermath of the shelling recorded in the Dniprovskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi Districts.
In the Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 16 September, Russian shelling injured 14 people, with another 10 injured in the Kherson region, where a rescuer is among the victims. In the Odesa Oblast, a Russian strike injured seven civilians.
Six people were injured on 16 September in the Donetsk Oblast, while Russian forces injured four civilians in each of the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts. In the Zhytomyr Oblast, in addition to the fatalities, two people were injured due to a Russian strike, and another person sustained injuries in the Sumy Oblast.
Related: The human safari: How Russia weaponised precision against Ukrainian civilians
To provide background, on 15 September, Russian military shelling killed 10 people in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) stated in its monthly report that there were more civilian casualties in the first eight months of 2026 than in the entire previous year in Ukraine. At least 372 civilians were killed and 2,349 injured in Ukraine in August 2026 alone.
Russian attacks surged against retail, food and logistics companies. Some of Ukraine’s largest companies – Fozzy Group, Epicentr, Nova Poshta, Rozetka, Aurora and Varus – were attacked at least 32 times, compared with 11 in July. In the Russian Federation, the companies Wildberries and Ozon were attacked at least 17 times.
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise, the war in Ukraine has not ended 24 hours after his inauguration. His further attempts to facilitate an unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have also failed.
Ukrainian experts earlier pointed out that countries, including China, Greece, North Korea, India, Hungary, Slovakia, Iran, and Brazil, assist Moscow in killing Ukrainians in its war against Ukraine by funding the Russian budget through trade.
Related: Rights group submits findings on suspected breaches of Russia sanctions to EU authorities
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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