National Police report 12 dead and 68 injured following Russian strikes on 23 September
On 23 September 2026, Russian military shelling killed 12 civilians in Kyiv and the Donetsk and Kharkiv Regions (Oblasts) and injured at least 68 others, particularly in the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, the National Police reported.
Aftermath of one of the Russian strikes on the Donetsk OblastThe victims of the Russian strikes on 23 September included:
- two people in Kyiv;
- eight civilians in Oleksandrivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk Oblast;
- an elderly man in the Kharkiv Oblast;
- the captain of a civilian vessel in the Black Sea, which was targeted by the Russian military.
At least 36 more civilians sustained injuries yesterday due to Russian shelling of Kyiv.
In the Donetsk Oblast, which the Russians struck more than 1,100 times using various weapons, 19 civilians sustained injuries as a result.
Aftermath of one of the Russian strikes on the Donetsk OblastSix people were injured due to Russian strikes on the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, four people were injured in the Kharkiv Oblast, and another two in the Kherson Oblast.
In the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, one person was injured as a result of Russian shelling.
To provide background, on 22 September, the Russian military killed eight civilians in Ukraine with shelling.
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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