OCHA: Russian attacks on Kharkiv and Kyiv killed civilians and injured dozens; Zelensky reports four dead in Kharkiv

The UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) said on 13 October that Russian attacks in recent days on Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukraine’s two largest cities, had again killed and injured civilians and damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, according to UN News. Aid workers and rescuers were on the ground in both cities.

What the UN reported

OCHA said that across Kyiv one civilian was reported killed and 11 injured. The Ukrainian Red Cross said its emergency response team helped rescue eight people after a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine close to the Russian border, and that an assistance point had been set up for those affected. Aid workers are providing shelter materials and psychological and legal support.

UNICEF said on 12 October that over the weekend six children were reportedly killed and 11 injured. “More children killed, more families facing unimaginable loss. This violence must not become the new normal,” the agency said.

Ukraine’s account

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with more than 100 drones, loitering munitions and ballistic missiles. He said a residential building in Kharkiv was destroyed, four people were killed there, and 41 were injured in the city in a single evening, with rescuers searching the rubble for most of the night. He said Kyiv was hit by five ballistic missiles that struck civilian infrastructure. These figures are Ukraine’s own and are not confirmed by an independent body in the UN News report.

Zelensky also said Ukraine had not struck Russian oil refineries or the energy sector since the US President announced an energy ceasefire two days earlier, while Russia continued to attack Ukrainian energy facilities. He said Ukraine is ready for reciprocal steps towards de-escalation. UN News, citing news reports, said Russia had stated that “contacts are ongoing” without giving details of a possible ceasefire. The report does not include a Russian statement on the Kharkiv and Kyiv strikes themselves.

Recovery work

In the Mykolaiv region, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is working with local authorities to restore damaged public facilities with more than $20 million in funding from Denmark. The projects include the historic Arkas Lyceum in central Mykolaiv and major repairs to a lyceum in the frontline community of Snihurivka, both with underground shelters so children can study during air alerts.

A later strike on Kyiv, reported on 14 October, is covered in Kyiv: Russian ballistic missiles hit a thermal power plant and an apartment block, three dead; Zelensky: “Again no warning from partners”.