Ukraine: Humanity & Inclusion’s statement on the intensifying use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas and the rising civilian toll (January – March 2026)

Country: Ukraine Source: Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion Please refer to the attached file. Ukraine enters the fifth year of full-scale war with a humanitarian crisis that remains severe, driven by relentless attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure. Between January and March 2026, Russian forces continued indiscriminate strikes across the country, killing at least 566 civilians and injuring 27311. Near-daily bombardments targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity, heating, or water during sub-zero temperatures in January and February. Thirty-nine percent of casualties were caused by long-range missile and drone attacks in urban centers far from the frontline, while the remainder were concentrated in frontline areas, where short-range drones, artillery, and aerial bombardments inflicted heavy losses. Repeated attacks on combined heat and power plants and substations deprived thousands of apartment buildings of central heating, disrupted hospitals and schools, and forced vulnerable residents, including older people and those with limited mobility to resort to unsafe coping mechanisms. Ukrainian forces have also conducted strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, primarily targeting oil and gas facilities. HI has not access to verified data on the impact of such strikes. Overall, the civilian toll in Ukraine since February 2022 has risen to 58930 killed or injured, underscoring the devastating impact of indiscriminate assaults on civilians and the urgent need for strengthened humanitarian protection. During the first quarter of 2026, Russia has carried out near-daily strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMMU)3, key elements of the power grid have been damaged in at least 17 regions, resulting in prolonged outages of electricity, heat, and water. Millions of people had access to electricity for only a few hours a day. Attacks also repeatedly struck infrastructure providing central heating to cities. In Kyiv city, for example, missiles and drones struck two combined heat and power plants several times, disrupting central heating to nearly 6, 000 multi-story buildings each time.

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