In maps and charts: Russian and Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets

Russia and Ukraine paused strikes connected each other’s capitals implicit the play to let United States President Donald Trump’s envoys to sojourn Moscow and marque their archetypal travel to Kyiv since the warfare began, arsenic Washington attempts to revive talks that person been stalled since February.

The travel by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner comes aft a Russian aerial campaign battered Kyiv for 10 consecutive days, sidesplitting astatine slightest 53 people. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the warfare volition apt proceed into winter, with nary breakthrough announced aft the talks.

As the warfare grinds connected done its 5th year, Al Jazeera visualises however each broadside has travel to trust connected drones implicit artillery, with attacks reaching further and further beyond the beforehand enactment and civilian infrastructure and cities progressively caught successful the crossfire.

Attacks connected civilian infrastructure much than doubled

The war, which began with the Russian penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022, has seen some sides progressively targeting civilian infrastructure.

According to an investigation by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), Russian forces carried retired 29,792 attacks connected Ukraine successful 2022. Of these, 1,635, much than 5 percent, deed civilian infrastructure, including residential, energy, healthcare and acquisition facilities.

By August 2026, the fig of Russian attacks connected civilian infrastructure successful Ukraine had risen to 7,170, representing much than 13 percent of each Russian attacks connected the country.

The aforesaid ACLED investigation recorded 245 Ukrainian attacks successful Russia successful 2022, with 24 of those – astir 10 percent – targeting civilian infrastructure. By August 2026, that fig had risen to 3,560 attacks, oregon 27 percent of each Ukrainian attacks successful Russia.

Although a larger stock of Ukrainian attacks targeted civilian infrastructure, Russia carried retired acold much attacks overall.

Where is civilian infrastructure being targeted?

Russia has consistently directed strikes astatine Ukraine’s vigor grid and has again warned of “massive strikes” connected infrastructure successful the run-up to winter, successful retaliation for attacks connected its lipid and state facilities, according to transmission strategy relation Ukrenergo.

According to ACLED, the bulk of Russian attacks connected Ukraine person occurred on the beforehand enactment successful Donetsk, which has faced much than 3,652 attacks, followed by Kharkiv (3,590), Sumy (2,969), Dnipropetrovsk (1,797), and Kherson (1,147). Outside the eastbound and borderline provinces of Ukraine, the Kyiv region, including the nationalist capital, has recorded 742 attacks.

About 68 percent of Russian attacks connected civilian infrastructure deed residential structures successful Ukraine, portion much than 19 percent struck vigor facilities, followed by acquisition buildings (7.7 percent) and healthcare facilities (5.1 percent).

Ukraine, successful turn, has utilized long-range drones to onslaught Russian lipid and state facilities, logistics hubs and warehouses, including those belonging to e-commerce companies Wildberries and Ozon.

On Friday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would motorboat astatine slightest “1,000 drones” against Russia each day, compared with the regular mean of 300 oregon truthful until now.

The bulk of Ukrainian attacks connected Russia person occurred successful the occidental portion of Belgorod, which has experienced much than 9,549 attacks, followed by Kursk (1,035), Bryansk (297), Krasnodar (286) and Rostov (185).

About 69 percent of Ukrainian attacks person deed residential infrastructure successful Russia, portion astir 30 percent person struck energy infrastructure. Less than 2 percent of strikes person targeted acquisition oregon healthcare infrastructure.

The graphic beneath compares Russian and Ukrainian attacks connected civilian infrastructure since the commencement of the war.

Drones predominate the war, but Russia inactive relies connected missiles

In the war’s aboriginal years, aerial and drone strikes made up lone a tiny stock of attacks connected some sides, which relied chiefly connected shelling and artillery.

That has since reversed, with drone and aerial strikes present accounting for the lion’s stock of attacks connected some sides.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Russia is connected way to motorboat 840 ballistic missiles astatine Ukraine this year, 47 percent much than successful 2025.

Russia has stepped up its usage of ballistic missiles successful caller months, including the archetypal confirmed combat usage of its upgraded, longer-range Iskander-1000 against Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence.

Smoke rises from damaged buildings astatine the tract of a Russian aerial onslaught successful the Kyiv portion connected August 29, 2026 [Serhii Okunev/AFP]

More interceptors needed

Ukraine’s authorities quality bureau Ukrinform reported connected September 1, quoting aerial unit spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, that they had changeable down each cruise missiles fired successful the overnight attack. Ukraine, however,”requires much capabilities, peculiarly much Patriot interceptor missiles”.

Ukraine’s supplies of expensive, US-made Patriot missiles and German-made IRIS-T interceptors person dwindled, impeding its quality to sprout down ballistic missiles. Interception rates person consequently fallen from 24 percent successful 2025 to 10.2 percent successful 2026, according to CSIS.

The increasing menace of precocious ballistic missiles is expanding the request for blase antimissile defence systems specified arsenic Patriot, THAAD, AMRAAM, and IRIS-T, according to CSIS.

Western enactment has helped to grow Ukraine’s drone and aerial defence capabilities. In June, the European Union provided 3.9 cardinal euros ($4.53bn) towards a 6 cardinal euros ($6.97bn) drone procurement package, portion the United Kingdom announced a 752 cardinal pounds ($1.02bn) bundle to present 150,000 drones and much than 350 aerial defence missiles and radars by the extremity of the year.