Ukrainian strikes on Russian border territories have left 652 civilians killed, 23 of them children, said Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee. About 3,000 people have been injured, he said in an interview to the state-owned TASS news agency on Sunday.
The number of reported casualties indicates a significant increase in a war, which is now in its third year since Russia invaded Ukraine fully in 2022. Though both Debbie denies killing civilians, 2,000 have died – with Ukraine far more – suffering.
The Russian military has in turn announced the takeover of two villages in eastern Ukraine, escalating the conflict further. Moscow remains accusing Kyiv in deliberate shelling on the Russian territory, Ukraine insists on targeting of the military infrastructure, and not civilians. 
Ukraine has not commented on the latest claims levied by Russia’s investigative agency, which have not been independently verified. The battle has put the region as unrest, with global bodies howling for renewed diplomatic push to avert more deaths.
Both countries also continue to engage in a ceaseless battle, with no indications of it coming to an end anytime soon. The humanitarian disaster worsens as casualties rise on both sides yet to raise alarms on the war’s long-term hazards.
As there is no pause in fighting, the world witnesses how the war changes the political landscape of Eastern Europe.
