Ukraine’s response to recent Russian attacks on civilian cities will be swift. On 26 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the enemy will inevitably feel the consequences of their actions.
On the night of 26 July, Russian forces launched drones and missiles. Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts came under fire. Three people were killed in Dnipro, and six more were injured. Kharkiv endured three hours of relentless assault. The Russians used missiles, including ballistic ones, as well a
Ukraine’s response to recent Russian attacks on civilian cities will be swift. On 26 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the enemy will inevitably feel the consequences of their actions.
On the night of 26 July, Russian forces launched drones and missiles. Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts came under fire. Three people were killed in Dnipro, and six more were injured. Kharkiv endured three hours of relentless assault. The Russians used missiles, including ballistic ones, as well as attack drones.
Ukraine will not leave strikes unanswered, says Zelenskyy
The Ukrainian president stated that Russia will face retaliation for the killings.
Russia does not intend to end its war against Ukraine. On the contrary, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has told US President Donald Trump that military actions will escalate during the summer offensive. In the first half of 2025, Russia killed or injured 6,754 civilians in Ukraine, the highest number for a six-month period since 2022.
“There are wounded as a result of the Russian strike. Unfortunately, there are also casualties. My condolences,” he wrote on Telegram.
He also emphasized: the response will be precise and daily.
“Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, and Russian airports must feel that their own war has real consequences for them. The accuracy of our drones and the daily nature of Ukraine’s responses are among the arguments that will definitely bring peace closer,” Zelenskyy said.
Moscow lies, as always: they targeted people, not military targets
Russia’s Defense Ministry justified the attack by claiming it targeted Ukrainian defense enterprises. In reality, the missiles hit residential buildings and an electronics repair store.
“The objective of the strike was achieved,” it reported.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said that a Su-27UB combat training jet caught fire overnight on 26 July in Russia. The incident happened at the Armavir airfield in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, which lies more than 850 km from the Ukrainian border.
It is intended for training pilots for the war against Ukraine, while retaining the combat capabilities of the base aircraft: speeds of up to 2,500 km/h.
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Russia is wiping out Ukrainian cities daily. In the first half of 2025, 6,754 civilians in Ukraine were killed or injured, the highest number for a six-month period since 2022, says Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, UkrInform reports.
After a surge in Russian attacks on civilians following each US peace effort, President Donald Trump gave Russia a 50-day ultimatum to strike a peace deal with Ukraine. He warned that failure to comp
Russia is wiping out Ukrainian cities daily. In the first half of 2025, 6,754 civilians in Ukraine were killed or injured, the highest number for a six-month period since 2022, says Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, UkrInform reports.
After a surge in Russian attacks on civilians following each US peace effort, President Donald Trump gave Russia a 50-day ultimatum to strike a peace deal with Ukraine. He warned that failure to comply would trigger harsh economic sanctions, including tariffs of around 100% not only against Russia itself but also against countries purchasing its energy resources.
Daily shelling of Ukrainian towns and villages with missiles and drones has only intensified, he said during a UN Security Council meeting. June saw the highest monthly civilian casualty count in three years.
In July alone, Russia launched at least 5,183 long-range munitions at Ukraine, including a record 728 drones on 9 July. Kyiv and the port city of Odesa have been hit hardest in recent weeks.
Even Ukraine’s western regions, once considered relatively safe, are no longer spared from massive aerial attacks.
According to official UN data, at least 13,580 civilians have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, including 716 children. Another 34,115 people have been injured.
“There is no safe place in Ukraine today,” said Jenča.
He stressed that international law clearly prohibits attacks on civilians and that the UN strongly condemns all such assaults.
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Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets claimed the United Nations had finally accused Russia of the Olenivka prison massacre that killed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). The problem? No such UN report exists.
The Olenivka attack occurred on the night of 28-29 July 2022 in occupied Donetsk Oblast, when an explosion destroyed a barracks housing Ukrainian prisoners of war, including defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. At least 50 Ukrainian soldiers died and approxim
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets claimed the United Nations had finally accused Russia of the Olenivka prison massacre that killed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). The problem? No such UN report exists.
The Olenivka attack occurred on the night of 28-29 July 2022 in occupied Donetsk Oblast, when an explosion destroyed a barracks housing Ukrainian prisoners of war, including defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. At least 50 Ukrainian soldiers died and approximately 130 were wounded. Witnesses inside the prison reported two blasts and noted that wounded POWs received no medical aid, leading to additional deaths due to blood loss during a prolonged evacuation. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office claimed that the explosion was caused by Russian forces firing a thermobaric grenade launcher, while Russian sources blamed Ukraine for launching a HIMARS missile.
Lubinets posted the news 30 June with obvious satisfaction. “Finally, things are called by their proper names!” he wrote, linking to what he said was a UN investigation proving Russia planned and executed the attack on the correctional colony.
A screenshot from a video shared by Russian sources shows the aftermath of the attack on Olenivka prison in occupied Donetsk Oblast in July 2022 that killed at least 50 Ukrainian POWs.
Mysterious international center investigated Olenivka massacre
Journalists at Slidstvo.Info followed Lubinets’ link and found something odd. The source was the Centre for Human Rights in Armed Conflict—an organization that explicitly denies any UN connection. Right on their website: “We are not affiliated with the United Nations or any other intergovernmental or governmental organization.”
The website was created on 22 May 2025, and contains only the single investigation about Olenivka with no other publications or detailed organizational information.
“We conduct thorough investigations into violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during armed conflicts, with a current focus on Ukraine and Gaza, to help establish the truth and bring perpetrators to justice,” the organization’s description on the website states.
Who runs the Centre? Nobody knows. No headquarters, no leadership names, no country of operation listed.
When Slidstvo.Info contacted Lubinets’ office, his team quickly backtracked. “Unfortunately, the Ombudsman’s Secretariat did not conduct proper verification,” they admitted, removing the post and promising “enhanced control over published information.”
The Centre itself later confirmed none of its report authors worked for the UN. They described themselves as “international experts who prefer not to reveal their identities” operating without a permanent headquarters and claiming none of its experts are located in Ukraine or Russia.
UN finds Russia responsible, but avoids public blame
The incident highlights confusion surrounding the actual status of UN investigations into the July 2022 Olenivka attack. According to Associated Press reporting, an internal UN analysis does conclude that Russia was responsible for planning and carrying out the attack, but this 100-page document was never intended for public release and does not constitute an official UN accusation.
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AP: UN investigation finds Olenivka attack planned by Russia
The UN analysis examined 70 open-source images, 20 statements from Russian officials, 16 interviews with survivors broadcast on Russian television, and conducted detailed interviews with 55 released prisoners of war. The analysis determined the missile flew from east to west, contradicting Russian claims that Ukraine struck the facility with HIMARS missiles.
However, the UN dissolved its official investigation mission five months after the tragedy because Russia refused to guarantee expert safety.
Can Ukraine get justice for Olenivka? Currently, only Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating. No active international probe exists among the tens of thousands of war crimes cases.
Meanwhile, the mysterious Centre for Human Rights in Armed Conflict says it plans to publish reports on civilian casualties in Mariupol and Ukrainian military deaths since the full-scale war began —though their credibility remains questionable after the Olenivka controversy.
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