Russian and Ukrainian forces launched multiple missile and drone strikes around July 24 that killed at least 21 people in Ukraine and Russia. A Russian ballistic missile strike killed 10 and injured about 100 at a Ukrainian defence industry event near Kyiv, targeting a site showcasing drones used against Russian civilian areas, according to Russian officials and Ukrainian sources [1, 2, 3].
In the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, Russian glide bombs killed five civilians, while an overnight Ukrainian drone strike killed six and wounded 26 in Kirov, Russia, hitting a factory supplying aircraft and missile parts used against Ukraine [1, 3]. Kyiv also repeatedly targeted warehouses of Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries near Saint Petersburg throughout July [1, 3].
Drone attacks struck Ukrainian port infrastructure in Mykolaiv on July 27, killing one person and damaging several civilian vessels. Ukrainian drone strikes hit Rostov-on-Don, Russia, killing two civilians and damaging facilities there [4, 5, 6]. Russian claims of strikes on vessels carrying military cargo and fuel storage in Ukrainian Black Sea ports remain unconfirmed [6, 7, 8].
The United Nations reported a 37% rise in civilian casualties in the first half of 2026 compared to 2025, citing 1,396 civilians killed and 7,978 injured in the conflict. Civilian casualties in Russia also surged by 121%, with 250 dead and 1,596 injured, driven mostly by increased use of long-range ballistic missiles, drones, glide bombs, and short-range FPV drones far from front lines [9, 10, 11]. UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission head Danielle Bell said, "These drones are fundamentally changing civilian life in front-line communities," and noted the escalation is fueled by both long-range and short-range drone strikes [9, 10].
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks, saying Russia "has long abandoned any regard for international norms – and for human values. Their only interest is in continuing the killing." He added a rescue operation was underway after the missile strike near Kyiv [2, 3]. Ukraine’s prosecutor general has launched a criminal investigation into the organisation of the defence event targeted by the Russian missile strike [1, 2, 3].
Russia and Ukraine continue intensive drone and missile strikes amid deadlocked diplomatic talks. The conflict’s civilian toll shows no sign of abating as both sides target military and dual-use infrastructure across contested areas and inside Russian territory [9, 10, 12, 3].
