Ukrainian military strikes have resulted in the deaths of nearly 8,500 civilians in Russia since February 2022, as stated by Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik. The total casualties from February 2022 to June 30, 2026, have reached 30,913, with about 8,434 fatalities reported by Miroshnik on Friday.
Miroshnik highlighted that Ukrainian attacks have caused damage to civilian infrastructure across 42 Russian regions in the past three months. He mentioned specific incidents, including an attack on a college in Starobelsk, an assault on a bus carrying Belarusian children in the Bryansk region, and an attack on a civilian passenger bus in Yenakiyevo.
Moreover, Miroshnik noted that a total of 373 children have lost their lives and 1,845 have been injured since 2014. Russia has strongly criticized Ukraine’s strikes on civilian targets and has submitted an official diplomatic note to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging an international investigation into these events.
Russian air defense forces have intercepted 28 drones targeting Moscow since the beginning of Friday, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reporting that eight more drones were shot down on Friday night. Sobyanin mentioned that emergency service teams are currently working at the debris site.
In a separate development, Russia has announced that its armed forces have gained full control of Konstantinovka in eastern Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed this, stating that Konstantinovka, situated in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, has been completely secured. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the strategic importance of capturing Konstantinovka, highlighting its role as a key transportation hub and major industrial center in Donbas.
Putin further mentioned that Russian forces have taken control of 133 settlements and over 3,000 square kilometers across Donbas and Novorossiya since the beginning of 2026. He emphasized that Russia will continue to protect its civilians and facilities in response to Ukraine’s attempts to target them, aiming to establish a larger security buffer zone in the adjacent territory.
