Firefighters try to put out a fire at a city marketplace following a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, 15 June, 2026 AP Photo

"To intercept ballistics, we need the means for interception."

"Russians are certainly using the fact that there is a serious deficit of interceptor missiles now, in Ukraine and the world."

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat

 

"As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies' stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep 'vanquishing' residential buildings."

"The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 

 

"When we were leaving the building, bodies were lying there."

"When we got downstairs, cars started exploding, and we came out from under the rubble straight into the fire."

Khrystyna Piatetska, 20, Kyiv's Darnytskyi district 

Rescuers use a crane to remove debris while they work at the site of an apartment building, which was hit during Russian missile and drone strikes in Kyiv. (Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters

 

 It goes on and on. So far, Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' has been the death of 15,000 Ukrainian civilians. The Russian military claims it aims its missiles and drones only at military targets. The reality is Moscow considers civilian infrastructure to be 'military targets' in its campaign to demoralize Ukrainians and place pressure on Ukraine's government to collapse its resistance against Russia's goals of annexing as much Ukrainian territory into Greater Russia as can be accomplished before Mr. Putin is satisfied that what he set out to accomplish has been achieved -- perhaps less than more -- but satisfactorily to the extent that he can rest on his land-grab laurels and agree to a Russo-advantaged 'peace' agreement. 

 

In the latest attacks on Ukraine, civilians have been killed and wounded as is usual for Russian attacks. Ukraine, on the other hand, has tasked its forces to damage over two dozen Russian tankers and other such shipping vessels in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine's achievements have been a world of difference from Russia's. Its intention is to hit Russian oil refineries across Russia in a bid to undercut its war plans. Ukraine's Russia infrastructure hits have succeeded to a considerable degree, triggering a widespread fuel crisis of notable gasoline shortages. 

 

The Kremlin's rather less-than-honourable response has been to intensify Kyiv bombardment along with other cities, knowing full well Ukraine's vulnerable state in fending off ballistic missiles. According to Ukraine's General Staff, 21 tankers meant to transport oil and petroleum products were most recently damaged overnight as well as four tugboats, two cargo ships and a dredging vessel. Russia reported a single individual dead as well as their count of ships having been struck as being no more than four in total.

 

A local resident inspects a damaged car after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press)

 

Two Russian aerial glide bombs struck a crowded area in Ukraine's northeast Sumy region killing four, a child included, wounding many others. Another eleven civilians were wounded in missile and drone attacks overnight on Kyiv -- while in Odessa, two people were dead following a building struck by a Russian missile. Across Kyiv's Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi and Dniprovski districts, according to the emergency service, explosions and fires were reported.

 

A dozen missiles, among them six ballistic missiles, as well as 121 drones were launched by Russia overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who went on to state that most of the drones and some of the missiles had been shot down. The ballistic missiles, however, reached their targets, a reflection of dire air defence gaps in Ukraine's defensive armaments. 

 

Two missiles and 111 drones were shot down or electronically suppressed according to Ukrainian air defences, while according to the air force, direct hits were recorded at 11 locations. Russian forces, according to its Defence Ministry, targeted drone production facilities in Kyiv. The ports of Izmail and Chornomorsk in the Odesa region were also targeted. 

 

Although Oleksseandr Syrsky, Ukraine's commander-in-chief spoke of a turning point in the war with Russia was "still a long way off" in spite of a string of recent successes for his troops, Kyiv's military has stopped the Russian advance in recent months across much of the front line, while delivering a string of major long-range attacks on Russian oil refineries. In Ukraine, many observers, along with some of their European backers feel that the Ukrainian troops are now on the front foot in the four-year war.

 

A Ukrainian serviceman of K-2 brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces operates a midrange drone during a flight towards Russian positions at the frontline, 21 June, 2026 AP Photo