A look at the deadliest Russian attacks on Ukraine this year

In the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the deadliest attacks this year have been carried out by Russian forces. On August 29, 2026, a Russian drone strike in the village of Myla, west of Kyiv, resulted in at least 37 deaths. The attack caused multiple explosions and fires, destroying a warehouse that may have been illegally storing munitions.

Among those killed were 34 people in a care facility for the elderly and disabled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as "terrible" and attributed it to "negligence on the part of those who stored explosives close to people."

Less than a month earlier, on July 2, 2026, Kyiv suffered a devastating assault from Russian drones and missiles. The attack killed 31 people and injured over 100 others, with the Russian military claiming it was in retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities. The explosions shook the Ukrainian capital, leading to air raid warnings and thousands of people seeking shelter in subway stations. Emergency crews worked tirelessly to search for victims among the rubble of collapsed and charred apartment buildings.

On May 14, 2026, a Russian cruise missile strike in Kyiv was the third deadliest incident of the year, claiming 24 lives. The missile flattened a nine-story apartment block, marking Russia's biggest barrage since the full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian officials reported this as the most significant attack on the capital since the onset of the war.