This gallery showcases a series of photographs capturing life by the Dnipro River in Kyiv, Ukraine, on a hot Sunday, July 14, 2024, when temperatures soared to 38 degrees. The images include scenes of people enjoying the river beaches, seeking respite from the heat. Highlights feature a view of the iconic "Mother Ukraine" monument, families and individuals taking their pets for a refreshing day out, and children playing in the water with inflatable beds. These moments of leisure and normalcy are set against the backdrop of ongoing conflict, with a poignant reminder from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the significant civilian casualties resulting from the Russian annexation of Crimea and subsequent attacks.

(VX Photo/ Vudi Xhymshiti)

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that between 14,200 and 14,400 people, including at least 3,400 civilians, were killed from April 14, 2014, to December 31, 2021, following Russia's annexation of Crimea. As of 2024, Russian attacks have resulted in 11,000 to 40,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine.