Civilian deaths rise as Ukraine and Russia intensify strikes behind front lines

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko visited the Dormition Orthodox Cathedral at the Kyiv‑Pechersk Lavra after a Russian missile and drone strike caused serious damage to the historic site. The attack, which hit civilian and religious buildings rather than military targets, was described by church officials as an attempt to break national morale.

In the same period, strikes deep behind the front line killed at least eight civilians, including a child. Ukrainian drone attacks hit a food business in Pavlohrad (Dnipropetrovsk region), a vehicle in Belgorod and the Crimean peninsula, while Russian strikes killed a child in Voronezh and a man in Sumy with mortar fire. The toll marks the highest civilian casualty count since 2022, underscoring the war’s widening impact on non‑combatants on both sides.