Russia Launched Record Number of Missiles at Ukraine in July, AFP Analysis Finds
Russia fired a record 376 missiles at Ukraine in July, and new strikes on Kyiv killed at least nine people, while Ukraine renewed its call for stronger air defenses.
Russia launched a record number of missiles at Ukraine in July, according to an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data released Saturday. The analysis found that 376 missiles were fired during the month, more than double the number in June. The attacks came as both sides intensified long-range strikes in the war's fifth year, with frontline gains coming at heavy human cost.
The renewed strikes on Kyiv on Saturday killed at least nine people, officials said. Many July attacks targeted the capital, including one of the deadliest strikes of the war on the night of July 2, when at least 30 people were killed.
In addition to missiles, Russian forces launched 4,956 long-range drones at Ukraine in July, a 14% decrease compared with June. Ukrainian forces are able to shoot down most drones, but remain dependent on allied supplies to counter missile threats.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of critical shortages of air defenses, especially against Russia's growing use of ballistic missiles. These ultra-fast weapons follow a high arcing path and are difficult to intercept, often giving only minutes of warning. Military analysts estimate Russia used 200–300 ballistic missiles in all of 2024, but 126 in July 2026 alone. According to AFP's tally, Ukraine managed to shoot down fewer than a third of them.
Zelensky visited the White House in late July to push for Patriot interceptor missiles, one of the few reliable ways to stop Russian ballistic missiles. Trump initially said he would allow Ukraine to produce Patriots, but later expressed reservations. On Friday, he said Washington needed to be “very careful” about the decision.
