civilians killed by Russian fire, including 40 children
24 Feb 2022 – 15 Sep 2026 · Local authority data, published by ABC News
Source: ABC News 15 Sep 2026 ↗
Operace KyseláčKherson, Ukraine
People in this frontline city face relentless attacks by Russian forces. Kherson holds partly because people still live here. For them to stay, the city has to keep functioning.
What we are trying to solve, and why it matters
Russia is trying to destroy everything that makes ordinary life possible in Kherson: it attacks residents, homes, public transport, ambulances, humanitarian vehicles and energy infrastructure. It uses small FPV drones, artillery and KAB guided aerial bombs. From the beginning of July to 27 August 2026, the regional administration recorded at least 170 attacks with these bombs.
Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty6 Aug 2026 ↗Source: Херсонська ОВА27 Aug 2026 ↗We go to the shop under fire. I don’t know what will happen next.Klavdia, Kherson resident, RFE/RL · 6 August 2026
Each figure states its period and whether it covers Kherson city or the whole Kherson region.
civilians killed by Russian fire, including 40 children
24 Feb 2022 – 15 Sep 2026 · Local authority data, published by ABC News
Source: ABC News 15 Sep 2026 ↗
civilians injured
24 Feb 2022 – 15 Sep 2026 · Local authority data, published by ABC News
Source: ABC News 15 Sep 2026 ↗
civilians killed
July–August 2026 · Verified cases only
Source: UN HRMMU 12 Aug 2026 ↗ · 16 Sep 2026 ↗
civilians injured
July–August 2026 · Verified cases only
Source: UN HRMMU 12 Aug 2026 ↗ · 16 Sep 2026 ↗
civilians killed and at least 54 injured in Oleshky and Hola Prystan on the occupied left bank
1 Jan – 25 Jun 2026 · Verified cases only
Source: UN HRMMU 25 Jun 2026 ↗
attacks with KAB guided aerial bombs
1 Jul – 27 Aug 2026
Source: Херсонська ОВА 27 Aug 2026 ↗ · AP 28 Aug 2026 ↗
small FPV-drone attacks in a single week
week to 27 Aug 2026
Source: Херсонська ОВА 27 Aug 2026 ↗ · AP 28 Aug 2026 ↗
videos of drone attacks on civilians analysed by Human Rights Watch
June–December 2024
Source: Human Rights Watch 3 Jun 2025 ↗
The Dnipro is one of the main natural defensive lines of southern Ukraine. And Kherson sits directly on it.
“In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces have relied on the Dnipro River to serve as their first line of defense.”
CSIS analysts also noted that the river’s width exposes crossing forces to enemy fire for longer periods. The same logic works in both directions: the river protects the right bank, too.
Source: CSIS16 Jun 2023 ↗The right bank keeps Russian forces beyond the river. Without it, they would no longer face a wide water barrier, but stand at the edge of open steppe.
Mykolaiv is about 60 km from Kherson in a straight line; Odesa about 145 km. Both cities are vital to southern transport and Black Sea ports.
About 155 km to the north lies Kryvyi Rih, one of Ukraine’s largest industrial cities. The land in between is mostly open, too.
Worsening security and access to essential services could force more residents from their homes.
This is neither a prediction nor an “open road” inland. The Kyiv Independent’s analysis of 5 August 2025 says a large Russian crossing of the Dnipro is unrealistic – precisely because the river is such a strong barrier. That makes holding the city that stands on this line all the more important.
For people to remain in Kherson, the city’s basic infrastructure must keep functioning. Hospitals are one of the most important parts of that infrastructure.
Russian aerial bombs struck Kherson’s combined heat and power plant again overnight on 27 August 2026. The regional administration reported extremely serious damage and warned that outages may last much longer than hours or days. Families with children and older people were urged to consider moving to safer areas.
The Kherson regional administration issued its evacuation appeal on 27 August 2026.
A
Hospitals must keep working through long power cuts. Among other things, they need electricity for:
According to the official letter from the Health Department of the Kherson City Council, 1 September 2026.
Power stations, batteries and solar panels for long outages.
Equipment, communications and lights keep running when the grid fails.
Care for residents does not stop.
Healthcare workers do not live alone – they have partners and children.
Much of their schooling happens online.
Where healthcare works, people have a reason to stay.
This is not our own wishlist. We received this request directly from the Health Department of the Kherson City Council. It summarises the needs of three multidisciplinary city hospitals and the city dental polyclinic.
| Equipment | Quantity | Approx. price / unit | Approx. total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseus power bank, 30,000 mAh / 22.5 W | 74 | 1,800 UAH | 133,200 UAH |
| USB step-up adapter, 5 V → 12 V DC, for routers | 60 | 350 UAH | 21,000 UAH |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 power station (EU version) | 17 | 42,000 UAH | 714,000 UAH |
| EcoFlow 110 W solar panel | 17 | 11,000 UAH | 187,000 UAH |
| EcoFlow River 2 300 W power station | 40 | 19,500 UAH | 780,000 UAH |
| LiFePO4 battery, 12 V, 100–150 Ah | 7 | from 19,500 UAH | from 136,500 UAH |
| Sako SUNON IV 6.2 kW / 48 V backup power kit with a Lithium Valley W15-5A 51.2 V / 280 Ah battery | 27 | 118,050 UAH | 3,187,350 UAH |
| Total estimated need | approx. 5,159,050 UAH | ||
All prices are approximate and come from the letter dated 1 September 2026. The Health Department based them on one facility’s submission. Current prices may differ.
The letter explicitly states that even partial fulfilment of these needs will improve the energy autonomy of Kherson’s hospitals, create backup capacity for emergency and prolonged outages, and help keep medical care continuous. The hospitals will be grateful for individual items and for any quantity of equipment.
Kherson needs its healthcare workers to stay. But they do not live in isolation – they have families and children.
Much of their schooling is remote. During long or emergency power cuts, home Wi-Fi routers and ONT/ONU optical terminals stop working. Even when the provider’s network is still up, the child cannot join the online class.
Internal feedback from healthcare workers indicated that their children’s education is one of the important factors influencing whether families are able to remain in Kherson long-term.
In its letter, the Health Department writes that supporting healthcare workers’ children in accessing education also supports the professionals who stay at their workplaces every day and provide life-saving care to residents.
During an outage they switch to battery power automatically and keep the router and optical terminal running for several hours.
small backup power units are needed to keep healthcare workers’ children connected to online education.
| Institution | Units needed |
|---|---|
| Kherson City Clinical Hospital named after A. and O. TropinOriginal name: КНП «Херсонська міська клінічна лікарня ім. А. і О. Тропіних» ХМР | 55 |
| Kherson City Dental PolyclinicOriginal name: КНП «Херсонська міська стоматологічна поліклініка» ХМР | 16 |
| Kherson City Clinical Hospital named after O. S. LuchanskyiOriginal name: КНП «Херсонська міська клінічна лікарня імені О.С. Лучанського» ХМР | 87 |
| Kherson City Clinical Hospital named after Ye. Ye. KarabeleshOriginal name: КНП «Херсонська міська клінічна лікарня ім. Є.Є. Карабелеша» ХМР | 57 |
| Health Department of the Kherson City CouncilOriginal name: Управління охорони здоров’я Херсонської міської ради | 3 |
| Total | 218 |
The letter identifies 10,400 mAh / 36 W devices as a particularly practical category in terms of features and price.
| Model | Capacity | Power | Key features | Approx. price / unit | Approx. for 218 | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WGP Mini DC POE UPS | 10,400 mAh | 36 W | 5V/9V/12V; PoE; for router + ONU/ONT | ≈ 1,099 | ≈ 239,582 | I · Best balance of features and price |
| VIA Energy Mini UPS 2.0 | 10,400 mAh | 36 W | 5V/9V/12V; passive PoE 15/24V; high compatibility | ≈ 1,425–1,895 | ≈ 310,650–413,110 | I · Fully featured alternative |
| WGP UPS103A | 10,400 mAh | 24–25 W | 5V/9V/12V; USB + DC; instant switchover | ≈ 1,071–1,250 | ≈ 233,478–272,500 | II · Economical and practical option |
| DC1018P | 10,400 mAh | 18 W | 5V/9V/12V; USB; separate versions with PoE | ≈ 1,190–1,366 | ≈ 259,420–297,788 | II · Acceptable basic option |
| MARSRIVA KP1 Plus | 16,000 mAh | 18 W | 5V/9V/12V; USB; 0 ms switchover; larger capacity | ≈ 2,387–2,500 | ≈ 520,366–545,000 | II · For longer autonomy, if the budget allows |
According to the preliminary analysis, meeting the full need for 218 devices would cost roughly UAH 233,000–545,000 depending on the model and accessories; for the priority 10,400 mAh / 36 W class, about UAH 240,000–413,000. Wholesale orders may cost less.
All prices are approximate market prices based on monitoring of the Ukrainian market on 2 September 2026 (ROZETKA listings, WGP/Richroc and MARSRIVA technical materials). They are not a tender or a commercial offer. Current prices may differ.
The letter stresses that every device that helps a child stay connected to school matters. Partial support is welcome too.
Residents use the term “human safari” for attacks in which drone operators track and strike individual people in the streets.
Human Rights Watch analysed 83 videos and interviewed dozens of victims and witnesses. Its investigation, published on 3 June 2025, found that Russian forces had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity through drone attacks against civilians, civilian property and infrastructure since June 2024.
This is not only the shelling of a frontline city. HRW documented drones targeting healthcare facilities, ambulances and their personnel – including rescue workers responding to drone attacks on civilians. Ambulance crews said they could no longer respond to calls in some areas for fear of drones.
Each point marks a documented casualty. Colours distinguish wounded people, people killed and targeted first responders; locations are approximate according to the map authors.
Source: Tochnyi Mapsinteractive archive ↗06 / Testimony
Our footage · Operace Kyseláč
This video was filmed by the Operace Kyseláč team. It shows the moment of the attack that hit two of our colleagues in Kherson.
National Police of Ukraine · original footage · CC BY 4.0
Original police footage from 4 August 2026 shows an FPV drone circling a vehicle, pursuing a 52-year-old vendor and then exploding. The man survived with injuries and concussion.
CBC News · YouTube
A report with authentic attack footage and testimony from residents. It may show the moment of an attack and its aftermath.
The Kyiv Independent · YouTube
Reporting from Kherson combines verified attack footage with testimony from people living under the drones every day.
Suspilne Kherson · YouTube
A report from an evacuation mission in August 2026.
Our initiative · Operace Kyseláč · YouTube
A video from our initiative, Operace Kyseláč. We explain why we help in Kherson and support both civilians and the city’s defenders.
We help in Kherson and across the wider Kherson region. Ukraine controls the right bank with the regional capital; Russia occupies much of the left bank. Attacks hit the city and the villages along the river.
Current excerptThe live interactive map loads directly from DeepStateMap.live. On every visit it therefore shows their currently published situation, not a stored screenshot.
Live mapEvacuation teams enter red zones in armoured vehicles. They monitor the route for drones while police, volunteers and mobile fire groups protect families. Missions may be delayed when attacks intensify.
Source: Суспільне ХерсонAug 2026 ↗were among 150 people evacuated in the first two weeks of August 2026, according to police cited by Suspilne Kherson.
Oleshky lies on the Russian-occupied left bank of the Dnipro, directly opposite Kherson. The town is cut off: drones circle over its streets, there are mines on the roads in, and food and medicine barely get through.
people remain, out of about 24,000 before the war
Source: Human Rights Watch · 9 Jul 2026 ↗Opens in a new windowchildren still live in the town
Source: Human Rights Watch · 9 Jul 2026 ↗Opens in a new windowcivilians killed and 54 injured in Oleshky and Hola Prystan in 2026 (to 25 June)
Source: UN HRMMU · 25 Jun 2026 ↗Opens in a new windowThe last grocery store stopped operating regularly in January 2026. Former residents told Human Rights Watch that people were starving, and that older people often cannot get to the food when a rare delivery arrives.
Source: UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine25 Jun 2026 ↗Source: Human Rights Watch9 Jul 2026 ↗The local hospital runs on an emergency generator and barely functions. Ambulances no longer come to people’s homes; only the most urgent cases get help. Former residents say there is no electricity or gas – people heat with wood and pump water with solar panels.
Source: Human Rights Watch9 Jul 2026 ↗Source: UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine25 Jun 2026 ↗Drones hover over the town constantly. On 5 March 2026 a drone killed two people standing in a queue for food. Drones and landmines block evacuation, and no local ceasefire that would allow it has been agreed.
Source: UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine25 Jun 2026 ↗Source: Human Rights Watch9 Jul 2026 ↗Since March 2026, Ukrainian units have been delivering food to Oleshky by drone; on 27 September they dropped four tonnes at 100 locations across the town. According to the Kherson regional administration, occupying forces try to shoot the drones down and detain residents who receive the parcels.
Source: The Kyiv Independent27 Sep 2026 ↗Our aid has been reaching Oleshky for several months now. We deliver it by drone across the Dnipro to the people who have stayed in the town. You can support it by donating to Operace Kyseláč.
For safety reasons we do not publish routes, timing or delivery details.

The Czech volunteer initiative Operace Kyseláč supports Kherson, the wider Kherson region and other frontline areas. Purchases follow current needs and the safety of recipients.
We are among the last organisations still working in Kherson. Others have withdrawn because of the security situation. We are staying: we continue to support local hospitals, civilians and the city’s defenders. Your support helps us carry on.
The needs of hospitals and healthcare workers’ children listed on this site were sent to us directly by the Health Department of the Kherson City Council. You will find the original documents in sections 04 and 05.
Medical supplies, hygiene products and equipment, based on what healthcare workers on the ground actually need.
Power stations, batteries, solar panels and backup systems, following the official request of 1 September 2026. The hospitals’ request
218 small backup power units to keep healthcare workers’ children connected to online classes. Need by institution
Aid across the Dnipro to the occupied left bank. More about Oleshky
Support for families, evacuees and communities in the most affected areas. Transport, repairs and logistics.
We support those who keep the city running, including its defenders: power sources, batteries, drone detectors and early warning systems.
For safety reasons we do not publish future travel dates, exact routes, unit identities, licence plates or tactical details.
Source: United Nations in Ukraine14 Aug 2026 ↗10 / How to help
Official request · 1 Sep 2026
Power stations, batteries, solar panels and backup systems for three city hospitals and the dental polyclinic.
approx. UAH 5,159,050DetailsOfficial letter · 2 Sep 2026
Small backup power units so healthcare workers’ children can keep learning online during power cuts.
218 unitsDetailsOperace Kyseláč
Civilian aid in Kherson and the region, Oleshky, logistics and other urgent needs.
What we doPublic fundraiser · Znesnáze21
For hospitals, maternity wards, families, medical supplies, hygiene, energy, vehicles and logistics.
Status checked on 30 September 2026. The current total and end date are shown on the fundraiser page.
Donate to the fundraiserOpens in a new windowThis site does not copy changing totals or time remaining, so it cannot show outdated fundraising data.
Donate directly: bank transfer, PayPal, bitcoin and Darujme.czHelp your way
You can also help Kherson by donating directly to Operace Kyseláč. Choose the method that works for you.
Want your gift to support Kherson? Write “Cherson” in the recipient message for bank transfers and PayPal.
Donate from a Czech or international bank account. Transactions are publicly visible.
2002142415/2010CZ51 2010 0000 0020 0214 2415Donate through PayPal. Choose your own amount.
Donate with PayPalOpens in a new windowDonate BTC directly over the Bitcoin network.
bc1qtt74yxrxj25er0gwgef7qseep6u6agy8yjpq6dA one-time or monthly gift supporting Operace Kyseláč’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Donate on Darujme.czOpens in a new window11 / In the media
Czech Television · Velký vlastenecký podcast
25 Feb 202639 minin Czech
“A bomb went off near us; we were sick all night.” Denisa Boháčková and former soldier Mac on life near the front line, why they help Ukraine and how the war has changed.
Watch interviewOpens in a new windowReportérky · NA LINII with Lenka Klicperová
28 May 202661 minin Czech
“Denisa from Kherson: a Czech woman helping in the most dangerous city in the world.” An interview about life and aid in a frontline city terrorised daily by FPV drones – above all, support for Kherson’s hospitals.
Watch interviewOpens in a new windowReportérky · Report from Kherson
7 Jul 202616 minin Czech
“Russia has not had enough and never will.” A report filmed in Kherson: with Denisa to healthcare facilities, a maternity ward and a dangerous zone near Russian positions. Filmed by Lenka Klicperová and Jana Andert.
Watch reportOpens in a new windowLinks go to the original media outlets. The videos do not load on this site. All interviews are in Czech.
12 / Historical context
Russian forces seized the only regional capital they captured in the opening weeks of the full-scale invasion.
The Kyiv Independent ↗Ukrainian troops liberated Kherson. The front settled along the Dnipro.
Le Monde ↗Catastrophic flooding hit the city and dozens of settlements along the river.
The Kyiv Independent ↗HRW documents systematic attacks against civilians and civilian objects from this period.
Human Rights Watch ↗HRW publishes its extensive analysis of 83 videos and victim testimony.
Human Rights Watch ↗After serious damage to the power plant, officials warn of prolonged outages and offer evacuation support.
Херсонська ОВА ↗13 / Sources
Health Department, Kherson City CouncilOfficial document · PDF · 1 Sep 2026
Health Department, Kherson City CouncilOfficial document · PDF · 2 Sep 2026
UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in UkrainePrimary source · UN · 16 Sep 2026
UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in UkrainePrimary source · UN · 12 Aug 2026
UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in UkrainePrimary source · UN · 25 Jun 2026
ABC NewsField report · 15 Sep 2026
Херсонська ОВАPrimary source · 27 Aug 2026
Associated PressNews report · 28 Aug 2026
Human Rights WatchInvestigation · 3 Jun 2025
Human Rights WatchReport · 3 Jun 2025
Human Rights WatchReport · 9 Jul 2026
CSISAnalysis · 16 Jun 2023
The Kyiv IndependentAnalysis · 5 Aug 2025
The Kyiv IndependentNews report · 27 Sep 2026
Суспільне ХерсонField report · Aug 2026
Le MondeField report · 24 Jun 2026
Radio Free Europe / Radio LibertyField report · 6 Aug 2026
United Nations in UkrainePrimary source · 14 Aug 2026
Tochnyi MapsInteractive map · interactive archive
DeepStateMap.liveMap · live map
This information comes from our own work. We do not back it with external articles or present it as independently verified.