Sergey Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images The United Nations has confirmed 5,663 civilian deaths and 8,055 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its former Soviet neighbor on February 24. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher because the armed conflict may delay reporting of deaths. The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling by heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as rockets and airstrikes. — Amanda Macias
Eight civilians killed in Russian strikes in Donetsk, governor says
Several towns in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region came under fire from Russian forces overnight, the Ukrainian military said, killing civilians. Russian shelling hit civilian and military infrastructure around the towns of Bakhmut, Kodema, Shumy, Zaytsevo and Yakovlyvka, Reuters reported, citing the military. Firefighters try to put out a fire after Russian bombing of a house in Bakhmut in Donetsk, Ukraine, on July 27, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The attacks killed eight civilians in the battered Donetsk province, its governor, Pavlo Kirilenko, said. Moscow says it is not targeting civilians. Russia since July has seized about half of Donetsk and all of Luhansk province, putting majority control over Donbas province, which the Kremlin calls an “unconditional priority.” — Natasha Toorak
Ukraine may face its coldest winter in decades, says the head of the state gas company
Ukraine could see its coldest winter in decades in the coming months, the head of state gas company Naftogaz said, as its central heating infrastructure is switched on later in the season and switched off earlier than normal. Indoor temperatures will remain about four degrees cooler than in previous years, Naftogaz chief Yuri Vitrenko said, between 62 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit (between 17 and 18 degrees Celsius) as the country faces power shortages – and revenue for to pay for it. power — because of the Russian invasion, now in its seventh month. Vitrenko said people should make sure they have warm clothes and blankets. Average winter temperatures in Ukraine can drop below 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius). Ukraine’s central heating figures also depend on the financial help it receives from allies to be able to import sufficient natural gas supplies, as well as whether Russian forces damage vital gas and electricity infrastructure. — Natasha Toorak
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu on the sidelines, UK MoD says
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has lost some of his authority as commanders begin reporting directly to President Vladimir Putin, Britain’s Ministry of Defense wrote in its daily Twitter briefing, citing independent Russian media. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a wreath-laying ceremony marking the anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in 1941 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier next to the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2022. Michael Metzel | Sputnik | Reuters “Recent independent Russian media reports have claimed that due to the problems facing Russia in its war against Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is now on the sidelines of the Russian leadership, with operational commanders reporting directly to President Putin on his course war,” the ministry wrote. He added that “Shoigu likely struggled for a long time to overcome his reputation as lacking substantial military experience, having spent most of his career in the construction sector and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.” — Natasha Toorak
IAEA nuclear inspection team ‘en route’ to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant
Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, points to a map of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as he briefs the press on the status of nuclear power plants in Ukraine during a special press conference at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on 4 March 2022. Joe Klamar | AFP | Getty Images A team from the UN nuclear watchdog is finally heading to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, after months of clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces around the facility and amid growing fears of a possible nuclear disaster. “The day has come, the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhia (ISAMZ) is now on its way,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said via Twitter. “We must protect the safety and security of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear facility. We are proud to lead this mission that will be at the ZNPP later this week.” The mission will inspect physical damage to the plant and assess its safety and security, assess the conditions of personnel there and carry out emergency security protocols, the agency said. — Natasha Toorak