Kyiv Military Administration Logs 140 Deaths in First Eight Months of 2026

Kyiv’s military administration reported that 140 people were killed in the capital during the first eight months of 2026. This figure represents 81% of the 172 deaths recorded for all of 2025. If the current pace of casualties continues, 2026 will become the deadliest year for the city since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. The data confirms a shift in the war’s trajectory, with the capital now functioning as a primary target rather than a rear base. The strain on the city’s infrastructure and population is visible in daily routines, where safety dictates where residents sleep and learn.

The shortage of adequate shelters has forced approximately 4 million residents to use subway stations as improvised dormitories. From roughly 10 p.m. each night, individuals lay out mattresses and set up small tents in the stations. Children and pets sleep alongside adults against cold walls. Halyna, a resident of the Lukyanivka district, told Deutsche Welle that she takes her five-year-old son, Roman, to the nearest station on most evenings, even without a siren. “We’re alive,” Halyna said. “We’ve been lucky once again.”

The attacks have claimed young lives in central districts. In September, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in the Pechersk district, killing 14-year-old Daniel Umanskyj while he did homework. Vlad, a neighbor who was in the hallway with his daughter at the time, said they were late that day, which saved their lives. “These sick monsters don’t care who they kill,” Vlad said. Flowers now mark the damaged building in Daniel’s memory. A school in southwestern Kyiv also suffered a drone strike in early October, though pupils and teachers were already in shelters.

Education continues in person, but only when shelter availability permits it. Principal Valentyna Chorna stated that her school keeps teaching grades one through nine because its large shelter can hold more than 500 students. However, lessons are canceled if an alarm sounds while children are still at home. Parents face the difficulty of working while their children stay home alone, a strain compounded by the risk of walking to school during an alert. A colleague at Deutsche Welle’s Kyiv bureau noted that her daughter’s building was struck by a drone in September, though the apartment sustained no damage and the child was at school.

The conflict has also disrupted the city’s supply chain and energy grid. Strikes on warehouses have caused supermarket shortages not seen since the early months of the war. Emergency power outages returned at the end of September, and a Russian attack paralyzed the subway system. With energy infrastructure under fire, the city faces uncertainty regarding its ability to provide heat, electricity, and water this winter.

Despite the rising toll, residents report a willingness to endure the conflict. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology reported in early October that 72% of residents said in September they were ready to endure the war as long as necessary. Authorities have shortened the curfew to run from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and allow some facilities to operate during yellow alerts. During red alerts, which signal ballistic or cruise missiles or large combined attacks, residents must take shelter immediately.