内容摘要：Putin told acting Kursk Gov. Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin supported the idea of continuing monthly payments to displaced families that still couldn’t return to their homes.

Putin told acting Kursk Gov. Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin supported the idea of continuing monthly payments to displaced families that still couldn’t return to their homes.

on Ukrainian families as Moscow ramps up its strikesIt was one of several recent tragedies in which children and teenagers have died, revealing a grim pattern as hopes for a ceasefire fade and Russian attacks continue to target civilian areas. “The three kids were incredibly bright, incredibly polite, the smartest, best students, always ready to help, always ready to support others,” said 22-year-old Yuliia Skok, the eldest sibling’s teacher.

Moscow denies targeting civilians, but abundant evidence shows otherwise.A father, center, mourns his children Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, during farewell ceremony in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)A father, center, mourns his children Tamara Martyniuk, 8, Stanislav Martyniuk, 12, and Roman Martyniuk, 17, killed in a Russian strike on Sunday, during farewell ceremony in Korostyshiv, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The children’s father, still bearing fresh injuries, was released from the hospital to attend the funeral. He and his two surviving children sat beside the coffins — a scene that has become heartbreakingly familiar in a war now grinding through its fourth year. Their mother remained hospitalized.At least 209 civilians were killed and 1,146 injured across Ukraine in April, making it the deadliest month for civilians since September 2024, according to the U.N. human rights office. The toll was 23% higher than in March and 84% higher than in April 2024.

Among the victims were at least 19 children, while another 78 were injured — more than the combined total of the previous four months. It was the highest verified monthly number of child casualties since June 2022.

The deadliest single strike on children since the start of the invasion occurred April 4 in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. A ballistic missile exploded over a park, playground and restaurant, scattering thousands of metal fragments that killed 20 civilians — including seven boys and two girls — and injured 63 others, the U.N. said.A mercury-free gold processing unit sits unused at a mining site in the Kedougou region of Senegal on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A mercury-free gold processing unit sits unused at a mining site in the Kedougou region of Senegal on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)In 2020, the government promised to build 400 mercury-free gold processing units. So far, only one has been constructed — in Bantaco, about 15 miles from Camara’s home. The facility uses gravity to separate gold from ore, eliminating the need for mercury by relying on sluices and shaking tables.

During a recent visit, the rusting slab of metal sat unused beneath a corrugated roof.“People used it for a while, but then they stopped, because one single unit can’t cover an entire community,” Goumbala said. “Naturally, those who were nearby could use it. But for those who are very far away, they can’t afford to transport the ore all the way, process it and then go back. It’s extra work. That’s a problem.”