No rules and pure Russian terrorism — the diabolical strikes on Ukrainian civilians

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is often described as simply a “conflict” or a “military operation”. For those who understand the threat, it is “war”. 

Too often, naming depends on one’s tolerance for terrorism. Yet, what Ukrainians endure each day goes far beyond the battlefield. It is not two armies facing one another. It is the Ukrainian Armed Forces defending their land while the whole world scrutinises every Ukrainian soldier, holding them to every rule of war, judging their every move against international law and the Geneva Conventions. Meanwhile, Russians compete with themselves in the systematic, deliberate use of fear, destruction and suffering as weapons against civilians. 

Russian terrorists deliberately target civilians to instil fear and break morale. They cannot win against our soldiers, so they turn to what they love doing most: killing infants in their beds at night. Every single day, instead of confronting an army on the battlefield, Russian terrorists choose vulnerable, noncombatant populations, turning everyday life into a battlefield.

Apartment blocks, hospitals, schools, universities, libraries, maternity wards, kindergartens, shopping centres, railway stations, public transport – these are all “justified” targets for terrorists. Civilians are kidnapped, tortured, executed in occupied territories. Endless sleepless nights. Do you know there have been literally only a few nights in more than a year without attacks? 

Let’s be clear: these are not tragic side-effects of war but a calculated strategy of terror. What Ukraine faces is daily, diabolical terrorism disguised as war – a campaign that follows none of the rules meant to protect humanity, even in conflict.

Read more: War in Ukraine

This summer Russian terrorists escalated their attacks on animals. They know Ukrainians are deeply attached to those who live with us; our animals are part of our families. Russian terrorists specifically targeted animal shelters, farms and horse stables. They dropped drones on horses, killing these magnificent creatures, then rejoiced by sharing photos and videos.

This summer Russian terrorists also began literally hunting down children with drones. In areas near the front lines, they use FPV drones equipped with cameras to search for children to kill. If you’ve somehow missed the headlines, here are just a few:

“Russian drone attack kills one-year-old boy in Kherson region (9 July 2025): A one-year-old boy was killed in the Kherson region after a Russian drone struck a residential yard in the village of Pravdyne.”

“Eleven-year-old killed in Russian attack on Kherson Oblast (13 June 2025). An 11-year-old boy has died in hospital as a result of injuries suffered in a Russian drone attack.”

“Russian drone injures two children near Kherson (26 May 2025). The Russians attacked a car with a drone in Komyshany, near Kherson, dropping explosives and injuring two boys aged seven and 15.”

In Kyiv, the terrorist attacks have reached a level of insanity. Just in the past five weeks Russian terrorists killed almost 60 people in Kyiv alone, injuring hundreds more. Every drone and every missile is programmed, which means they programme them to hit residential buildings.

And they are evolving in their terrorism: the extremely high civilian death toll is due in part to new tactics. They bombard Kyiv with hundreds of drones and missiles all evening and all night. After the attacks end and Ukrainians are given the “all clear” and return home from shelters, Russian terrorists launch another strike. This is without doubt done with one goal: to kill as many civilians as possible.

The youngest Ukrainian killed by Russian terrorists in recent days was two months old.

And on 9 September, in an absolutely barbaric terrorist attack on Yarova, they dropped a glide bomb on the village’s postal office, hitting civilians – primarily elderly people – waiting in line at a mobile post office to collect their pensions. At least 24 civilians were killed and about 19 injured.

This attack came just days after a massive aerial assault involving more than 800 drones and 13 missiles – one of the deadliest civilian-targeted bombings of the summer.

Read more: Ukraine Crisis Archives

Yesterday there was yet another mass missile and drone attack. Almost 20 terrorist drones entered Poland at night, targeting civilians there. The photos of damaged homes are absolutely heartbreaking. Russian terrorist cancer is spreading.

I am showing you only fragments of what Ukrainian civilians endured this summer. And I want to be very clear: if it weren’t for our incredible military, all of this would be thousands of times worse. Please don’t look away. Please stay informed. Terrorism is already spilling beyond our borders. Together we can make sure it doesn’t go further. Only together. DM