--- title: "\"This Is Not a War on the Frontline\": EU Ambassador to Ukraine Urges the World to Speak Out Loudly About Russia's Killing of Civilians" description: "EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Materanova urged the world to speak out loudly about Russia's killing of civilians after a nighttime attack on Kyiv in which, according to her data, at least 13 people were killed. The diplomat emphasized that this is not combat operations but strikes on residential buildings and hospitals." date: 2026-08-20T08:26:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-ambassador-maternova-russia-attack-on-kyiv tags: [ukraine, eu-ambassador, russia-attack, kyiv, war-crimes] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "This Is Not a War on the Frontline": EU Ambassador to Ukraine Urges the World to Speak Out Loudly About Russia's Killing of Civilians ![EU Ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Zalozhnaya speaks in front of the Ukrainian and EU flags, urging the world to speak out about the killings of Russian civilians](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/20/posol-es-maternova-ataka-rf-na-kiev/posol-es-maternova-ataka-rf-na-kiev-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - EU Ambassador Katarina Materanova stated that the international community has no right to remain silent about Russia's killing of civilians in Ukraine. - According to her data, the nighttime attack on Kyiv killed at least 13 people and injured 34 civilians; the upper floors of a nine-story building were destroyed in the Solomianskyi district. - On August 19, a strike on the National Police headquarters in Zhytomyr resulted in three deaths and 53 injuries. - The nighttime strikes caused power grid accidents in Brovary and blackouts in part of Kyiv. - Some sources date similar statements by the ambassador to July 2026, creating a discrepancy with the current date of August 20, 2026. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Materanova made a sharp appeal to the international community against the backdrop of a new Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv. In a post on the social network X, cited by RBC-Ukraine, the diplomat stated that the world "has no right to remain silent when Russia kills Ukraine's civilian population." According to her, last night Russian military killed at least 13 people in the capital, and another 34 civilians were injured. Materanova emphasized that in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district, an enemy strike destroyed the upper floors of a nine-story residential building, and called for these crimes to be openly documented and voiced. ### "This Is Not a War on the Frontline": Key Quote from the EU Ambassador The central element of the statement was a direct characterization of the nature of the Russian army's actions. "Let us be frank: this is not a war on the frontline. Soldiers are not fighting against soldiers. Russia is killing civilians and bombing residential buildings and children's hospitals. We must speak out loudly about this. We must write about it so that the world remembers the war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine," Materanova wrote. Thus, the EU ambassador attempted to shift the international discourse from abstract rhetoric about a "special operation" to the specific victims among the civilian population, emphasizing the need for sustained informational pressure on Moscow. ### Timeline of Strikes: From Zhytomyr to Kyiv Against the backdrop of the nighttime attack on the capital, the diplomat recalled the events of the preceding day: on August 19, Russian forces deliberately struck the headquarters of the National Police in Zhytomyr, resulting, according to the data cited in the statement, in three deaths and 53 injuries. Last night, in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, explosions rang out amid an air raid alert: Russia reportedly used missiles of various types and strike drones. On the morning of August 20, Ukraine's air defense forces reported repelling a new wave of the attack and the number of targets neutralized. ### Infrastructure Consequences of the Attack In addition to human losses, the nighttime strikes damaged the energy infrastructure. In Brovary, an enemy attack caused a power grid accident, and part of Kyiv was left without electricity. These data indicate that strikes on civilian objects and energy facilities have become a systematic element of Russia's strategy, which, according to the EU ambassador's logic, further strengthens the need for international condemnation. ### Contradictory Data Fact-checking revealed a discrepancy in the dating of similar statements by the EU ambassador in different sources. The current news and two fresh sources (RBC-Ukraine, UNIAN) tie Materanova's appeal to the events of August 19–20, 2026. However, two other sources (pravda.com.ua and gazeta.ru) date similar-formulated statements by the ambassador — including the comparison of life in Ukraine with "Russian roulette" and the characterization of the attack as "real hell" — to July 2, 2026. This means that either some of the quotes and assessments relate to an earlier July shelling episode, or an error in chronology was made in certain materials. The XAB.info editorial team records both versions and does not combine them into a single sequence without additional verification. ### Moscow's Reaction and Kyiv's Position According to available data, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement after the killing of civilians in Kyiv and the region, which the Ukrainian side and diplomats characterize as cynical. At the same time, Ukrainian authorities and air defense continue to publish information on repelling attacks and the scale of damage. In this context, the EU ambassador's statement is perceived as an attempt to fix the European Union's position: the silence of the international community in the face of deliberate strikes on residential buildings and hospitals is unacceptable, and documenting each incident is regarded as a tool for maintaining international attention and future accountability. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - ["Let Us Be Frank": EU Ambassador Addresses the World After a New Russian Attack](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/davayte-budemo-vidverti-posol-es-zvernulasya-1787214200.html) - Подтверждает заявление Матерновой, цифры жертв (13 погибших, 34 раненых) и цитату о «войне не на фронте». - ["This Is Not a War on the Battlefield": EU Makes a Hard-Hitting Statement After Russia's Attack on Kyiv](https://www.unian.net/war/ataka-na-kiev-20-avgusta-posol-es-vystupila-s-rezkim-zayavleniem-13475361.html) - Подтверждает контекст атаки 20 августа и жесткую риторику посла ЕС. - [EU Ambassador Shares Impressions of Russia's New Attack on Kyiv: Real Hell](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/07/02/8042067/) - Содержит схожую риторику, но датировано 02.07.2026 — возможная нестыковка хронологии с актуальной датой. - [EU Ambassador Compares Life in Ukraine to Russian Roulette After the Shelling of Kyiv](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2026/07/02/28810225.shtml) - Аналогичная формулировка заявления, датирована 02.07.2026; требует сверки, чтобы не смешать июльский и августовский эпизоды. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who issued a statement after the attack on Kyiv? **A:** The statement was made by EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Materanova, who published an appeal on the social network X. ### Q: According to the EU ambassador's data, how many people were killed in Kyiv during the nighttime attack? **A:** According to the data cited in the statement, at least 13 people were killed, and another 34 civilians were injured. ### Q: What happened in Zhytomyr on August 19? **A:** According to Materanova, on August 19 Russia struck the headquarters of the National Police in Zhytomyr: three people were killed and 53 were injured. ### Q: Are there contradictions in the dates across sources? **A:** Yes. The current news refers to August 20, 2026, however two sources date similar statements by the EU ambassador to July 2, 2026, which is reflected in the 'Contradictory Data' section.