A one-year-old child was killed in a Russian drone strike on a park in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, where families with children had gathered. The attack on Monday, October 19, also wounded at least 15 others, including seven children, according to local officials.
The strike comes as newly released United Nations figures show civilian deaths and injuries jumped 85% in September compared to the same month last year. UN human rights monitors warned that Russia's intensifying attacks had driven civilian casualties to some of the highest levels since the war began in February 2022.
Details of the Attack
Ukrainian official Ivan Vyhivskyi wrote on Telegram: "Unfortunately, two women and an infant who was in a stroller were killed." Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported six fatalities, including three children, and at least 15 wounded, seven of whom were children.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia had not been "doing much" in the country. "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much," he told reporters. The US leader added that he has been working to negotiate a peace deal but claimed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was standing in the way.
UN Casualty Figures
The UN reported that in Kyiv alone, civilians were killed or injured on 22 of September's 30 days, the highest frequency recorded in any month since the invasion. At least 328 civilians were killed and another 2,105 injured in September, an 85% increase in casualties over the same month last year.
The latest figures bring the verified civilian toll for the first nine months of 2026 to 2,570 dead and 15,211 wounded, a 59% increase in total casualties over the same period last year. Fatal attacks have continued into October, with Danielle Bell, head of the UN's human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, stating: "The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years."
