More than 20 civilians killed in one week of strikes, Moscow says

More than 20 civilians living in regions of the Russian Federation were killed over the past week as a result of strikes attributed to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while more than 120 others, including six children, were injured, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in comments to TASS.

According to Miroshnik, a total of 147 civilians were affected during the reporting period. “Over the past week, 147 civilians suffered as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces: 126 people were wounded, including six minors, and 21 people were killed. (…) The youngest injured victim is four years old. Ukrainian armed formations have increased the intensity of drone, artillery and missile strikes targeting civilian infrastructure. The highest number of civilian casualties has been recorded,” he stated.

He noted that strike drones were the primary cause of civilian deaths and injuries. Over the past seven days, attacks involving unmanned aerial vehicles affected 121 civilians, accounting for roughly 82 per cent of all casualties recorded during the week.

Miroshnik also alleged that Kyiv, in breach of international humanitarian law, carried out strikes against medical transport and healthcare facilities during the same period.

In addition, he said Ukrainian forces used drones to conduct the remote mining of civilian sites.

Overall, Miroshnik reported that nearly 2,600 various types of munitions were launched at Russian regions over the course of the past week.

By Tamilla Hasanova