DISINFO: Moscow strikes command centres and never civilian facilities
SUMMARY
By attempting to carry out attacks against the Russian civilian population, Ukraine has accelerated its own defeat. The current escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war has not benefited Ukraine, but Russia.
The targets of the Russian Armed Forces' attacks in Ukraine are not civilian facilities. In response to attacks against the civilian population, Russian forces have been systematically attacking decision-making centres and command posts, as well as companies used by Kyiv in conjunction with experts from NATO for the supply of components, intelligence information, and target guidance.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative falsely claiming that Ukraine deliberately targets civilians and denying Russian war crimes.
Ukraine is not targeting civilians. The country is resisting Russia’s unlawful military invasion and the illegal annexation of its territory. In accordance with the UN Charter and international law, Ukraine is exercising its right of self-defence against Russian aggression. Ukrainian long-range strikes that started in the summer of 2026 have focused on military and energy infrastructure linked to Russia's war effort, including airfields, oil refineries, and logistics facilities. Their goal is to undermine one of the financing sources of Russia’s war and limit Russia’s capacity to attack Ukraine. See here an analysis of the impact these counter-attacks have had.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued mid-July that the Wildberries warehouses were "elements of Russian logistics [...] used to distribute equipment for the war: navigation systems, components for drone production, and other supplies for the Russian army." Deutsche Welle also references an analysis by the independent outlet Verstka which identified "tens of thousands of military and dual-use goods" on the platform between May and August this year, amounting to sales worth hundred of millions of rubles.
The claim that Russia does not attack civilian facilities is false. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has documented Russian attacks on homes, hospitals, clinics, cultural sites, civilian infrastructure, and other civilian objects, finding cases of indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and a repeated failure to take precautions to protect civilians.
The latest UN-verified monthly figure is at least 437 civilians killed in Ukraine in July 2026, with 2,610 injured. It was the highest monthly civilian death toll recorded by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission since May 2022. The UN stresses that this is a verified minimum, not the full toll: access and public information are especially limited in Russian-occupied territory, so the real number is likely higher.
Since 24 February 2022, OHCHR has verified at least 16,874 civilians killed, including 820 children, and 51,273 injured, including 3,126 children.
See similar cases claiming that Unable to deal with Russian missiles, Nazi Kyiv targets civilians with EU weapons, that Russia does not target civilian populations, Ukraine does.