By Niamh Kennedy, Victoria Butenko, Svitlana Vlasova, CNN

(CNN) — June was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, the United Nations said Tuesday, underscoring the devastating impact of Russia’s intensified attacks on cities far from the front lines.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said at least 293 Ukrainian civilians were killed in June, taking the number of civilian deaths for the year to date to nearly 1,400. That’s 37% more than the same period last year, and more than double the figure for the same period in 2024.

The head of the HRMMU, Danielle Bell, said June’s figures “show an alarming escalatory trend with mounting civilian toll, driven by the intensifying use of powerful weapons that are particularly deadly when used in densely populated urban areas.”

HRMMU said the increase was driven largely by long-range Russian missiles fired into residential buildings in cities including Dnipro, Odesa and the capital, Kyiv.

Civilian casualties from long-range weapons have increased by 60% from January to June when compared with the same period in 2025, according to the UN.

Ukrainian authorities have been vocal about their struggles in shooting down Russian ballistic missiles, asking European allies for help in bolstering missile defense systems and intensively lobbying the US for the go-ahead to produce the Patriot interceptor missiles capable of stopping Moscow’s ballistic missiles.

In areas closest to the front line, short-range drones have been responsible for the bulk of civilian deaths and injuries in 2026, according to the UN.

Bell said these drones have “transformed the environment” for civilians living near the front line.

“Many describe feeling hunted by short-range drones simply for attempting everyday tasks such as shopping for food, walking dogs, cycling, working in the yard or traveling to safety,” she said.

The human impact of the relentless Russian attacks continues to be felt acutely across Ukraine. Attacks in the first half of July have killed at least 240 civilians and injured 1,904 so far in Ukraine, according to a CNN count based on figures from local authorities.

On July 2, another fierce Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least 30, including a family of six.

In a Facebook post, Alla Melnychuk, a family friend, paid tribute to the family, including a son named Nikita who survived childhood cancer.

“He was only 23 years old,” Melnychuk said. “He was supposed to get married in a few days. He had his whole life ahead of him. Dreams. Family. A future.”

The family “weren’t just acquaintances,” she added. “They were people with whom a part of our lives was intertwined.”

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Daria Tarasova-Markina contributed to this report.

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CNN

By John Fritze, Devan Cole, Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered an unusually personal plea for additional security funding for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, using a rare hearing before Congress to address for the first time personal threats that have been directed against her and her family.

Barrett, who was joined Tuesday by Justice Elena Kagan in requesting millions more for judiciary security, recalled two incidents – a recent swatting attempt at her home and the issuance by court security of bulletproof vest when, she said, threats against her were “particularly intense.”

“I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one,” Barrett told a House appropriations subcommittee.

Barrett, a conservative, and Kagan, a liberal, also took questions about the court’s code of ethics, its use of the emergency docket and diversity within the judiciary. But the justices came prepared to focus mostly on their safety, and several lawmakers indicated they would support the requested influx of cash for that purpose amid a spike in threats against jurists.

Police in Washington’s Virginia suburbs said in May that they had been called to the home of a Supreme Court justice for what they determined was a “fictitious” report of gunfire. CNN later confirmed that it was Barrett’s home that was targeted, though neither the justice nor the court had previously acknowledged the incident.

Barrett told the lawmakers Tuesday that one of her teenage sons opened the door that evening to head out with friends and was confronted with an armada of police cars that “had responded to a false report of gun shots and raised voices in my home.” Barrett said she was grateful that the Supreme Court police detail assigned to her home quickly communicated with local police so that they did not “attempt to enter our home.”

“Many of us have received threatening anonymous deliveries designed to intimidate and harass us,” Barrett said.

The judiciary has requested nearly $921 million for security overall, a $29 million increase compared to last year, for frontline security forces at federal courthouses. The ask includes an increase of nearly $15 million to make members of the Supreme Court Police available to protect the justices and their families, including at their homes. It also includes $6 million for a planned structure in which to conduct security screening before visitors enter the Supreme Court building.

Grilled on ethics

Several lawmakers pressed the justices on the code of ethics the Supreme Court adopted in 2023 that was a response to a series of ethics scandals but that has been widely criticized for lacking teeth.

“It’s entirely self-policing,” complained Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat.

“Every othe

CNN

By John Fritze, Devan Cole, Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered an unusually personal plea for additional security funding for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, using a rare hearing before Congress to address for the first time personal threats that have been directed against her and her family.

Barrett, who was joined Tuesday by Justice Elena Kagan in requesting millions more for judiciary security, recalled two incidents – a recent swatting attempt at her home and the issuance by court security of bulletproof vest when, she said, threats against her were “particularly intense.”

“I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one,” Barrett told a House appropriations subcommittee.

Barrett, a conservative, and Kagan, a liberal, also took questions about the court’s code of ethics, its use of the emergency docket and diversity within the judiciary. But the justices came prepared to focus mostly on their safety, and several lawmakers indicated they would support the requested influx of cash for that purpose amid a spike in threats against jurists.

Police in Washington’s Virginia suburbs said in May that they had been called to the home of a Supreme Court justice for what they determined was a “fictitious” report of gunfire. CNN later confirmed that it was Barrett’s home that was targeted, though neither the justice nor the court had previously acknowledged the incident.

Barrett told the lawmakers Tuesday that one of her teenage sons opened the door that evening to head out with friends and was confronted with an armada of police cars that “had responded to a false report of gun shots and raised voices in my home.” Barrett said she was grateful that the Supreme Court police detail assigned to her home quickly communicated with local police so that they did not “attempt to enter our home.”

“Many of us have received threatening anonymous deliveries designed to intimidate and harass us,” Barrett said.

The judiciary has requested nearly $921 million for security overall, a $29 million increase compared to last year, for frontline security forces at federal courthouses. The ask includes an increase of nearly $15 million to make members of the Supreme Court Police available to protect the justices and their families, including at their homes. It also includes $6 million for a planned structure in which to conduct security screening before visitors enter the Supreme Court building.

Grilled on ethics

Several lawmakers pressed the justices on the code of ethics the Supreme Court adopted in 2023 that was a response to a series of ethics scandals but that has been widely criticized for lacking teeth.

“It’s entirely self-policing,” complained Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat.