1,245 political violence events
12% increase compared to last week
85 incidents of violence targeting civilians
70% increase compared to last week
At least 31 fatalities from civilian targeting
41% increase compared to last week
Key trends
- In the Donetsk region, Russian forces occupied four settlements close to the Dnipropetrovsk region — three north and northwest of Velyka Novosilka and another southwest of Porkovsk. Russian forces also advanced in the northern part of the Donetsk region, bordering the Luhansk region.
- ACLED records 37 Russian long-range missile and drone strikes, including attacks on Kyiv city. Ukrainian forces intercepted strikes in at least 43 other instances in 14 regions, including the northern regions of Zhytomyr and Rivne.
- Russian shelling, missiles, and drones killed at least 31 civilians, mostly in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Odesa, and Sumy regions.
Key events
- 25 Feb. | Donetsk – Russian forces strike a residential sector in Kramatorsk, killing one civilian and injuring 16 others
- 26 Feb. | Donetsk – Russian glide bombs kill six civilians and wound 10 others in Kostiantynivka
- 26 Feb. | Kherson – A Russian drone strikes an ambulance in Kherson city
Spotlight: Russian forces launch new round of strikes on energy infrastructure across Ukraine
Following blackouts due to Russian attacks in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions the week prior, Russian forces continued to target energy infrastructure across Ukraine last week. Overnight on 27-28 February, a salvo of over 200 Russian drones struck civilian infrastructure across the country,1Yuri Zoria, “Russian drones target Kharkiv energy infrastructure, injure eight in three regions,” Euromaidanpress, 28 February 2025 including an unspecified energy facility in the Kharkiv region and gas pipelines in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Earlier during the week, Russian drones hit an electrical substation in the Kharkiv region on 25 February and unspecified energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions on 26 February, in addition to the damage to power lines recorded in several other regions. These attacks led to emergency blackouts in several regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Sumy, and Kyiv, as well as Kyiv city.2Yuliia Lavruk, “Emergency power outages introduced in Kyiv and a number of regions on February 28,” Espreso, 28 February 2025 (Ukrainian); Iryna Balachuk, “Emergency power outages introduced in some Ukrainian oblasts due to Russian attacks,” Ukrainska Pravda, 28 February 2025
Russia has been deliberately targeting Ukraine’s energy grid since October 2022 and began to increasingly focus on destroying power generation facilities since March 2024, causing significant hardship for civilians, as discussed in the latest ACLED report released ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion. Amid the souring relationships between the newly-elected United States administration and Ukraine’s leadership,3Jerry Fisayo-Bambi and Maria Psara, “US’ split with EU allies to side with Russia in UN vote on Ukraine sparks concern,” Euronews, 25 February 2025; Humeyra Pamuk and Pesha Magid, “US and Russia forge ahead on peace talks, without Ukraine,” Reuters, 19 February 2025 the US suspended initiatives that help restore Ukraine’s energy grid4Vaughn Hillyard, “State Department terminates U.S. support of Ukraine energy grid restoration,” NBC News, 28 February 2025 before cutting off all US military aid on 3 March, including that already en route to Ukraine.5Anthony Capaccio and Natalia Drozdiak, “Trump Pauses Military Aid to Ukraine After Clash With Zelenskiy,” Bloomberg, 4 March 2025 This may undercut Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts and air defense capabilities6Forces News, “Ukraine could lose control of its skies without Western aid, Ukrainian air force warns,” 3 March 2025 that allow Ukraine to maintain the functioning of its energy system despite constant Russian attacks.
Explore the ACLED Conflict Exposure tool to assess the numbers of people affected by armed violence, disaggregated by locations, time period, and actors involved.
