Ukraine War: Civilian Deaths Mount on Both Sides Amid Escalating Attacks

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in a significant rise in civilian deaths and injuries across both sides during the summer months, according to data from the independent analysis group Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT).

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It depends on this escalation spiral we are seeing now.

Between May and July, CIT recorded 1,462 civilian deaths and 10,666 injuries. The majority of these casualties, approximately 70%, occurred in territories controlled by Ukraine. This escalation is attributed to the current spiral of conflict, as noted by military expert Ilmari Käihkö.

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This also shows how dangerous and deadly these drones are, regardless of how far from the front line people are.

Russia has frequently employed missiles and drones against Ukraine, leading to numerous civilian casualties. Concurrently, Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian infrastructure, including e-commerce warehouses and oil facilities, are increasingly impacting Russian civilians. A recent incident involved a drone strike in the Russian resort town of Gelendzhik, which resulted in civilian fatalities. While the area contains potential military targets, analysts suggest the possibility of the beach being deliberately targeted, though it would offer little strategic gain for Ukraine. This event highlights the danger posed by drones, even far from the front lines.

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There is a hope that by targeting the Russian economy, the pressure on political decision-makers will increase, both from individual Russian citizens and businessmen. The question is whether it will work like that.

Käihkö suggests that targeting Russia's economy aims to increase pressure on political decision-makers, but voices in Russia are reportedly calling for further escalation of the war. Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of families with children from Kramatorsk due to the risk of renewed Russian attacks. Käihkö believes Western support for Ukraine would likely remain stable, even with increased civilian casualties in Russia, as long as Ukraine does not intentionally target civilians.

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As long as Ukraine does not intentionally try to cause civilian losses on the Russian side, I don't think we would react. We accept that things happen in war, it is inevitable.