Strana 27
generators, medical and hygiene supplies, and
blankets for people affected by the war. During
the same attack, a bookstore warehouse was
also hit, with 800,000 books burned.
On the night of Sunday, July 19, Russian
missiles again struck a UNICEF warehouse in
Kyiv containing humanitarian aid for Ukrainian
children and families. Generators, hygiene
kits, and water tanks worth $3.9 million were
destroyed. One of Kyiv’s largest textbook
printing facilities was also hit. Estimates of the
consequences vary; according to some reports,
as many as 600,000 textbooks were destroyed
in total.
All of this, however, is merely property
damage. Far worse is the loss of innocent
human lives. The United Nations confirmed
that at least 437 civilians, including 17 children,
were killed in Ukraine in July 2026. Another
2,610 civilians were injured. These are the
highest figures since May 2022. Since the
beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in
February 2022, the UN has recorded at least
16,874 civilian deaths in Ukraine, including
820 children. Another 51,273 people have been
injured, including 3,126 children. UN Under-
Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo herself
emphasized when releasing these figures
that the actual number of casualties would be
much higher. The UN is unable to verify figures
from areas where fighting is taking place or
from occupied Ukrainian territories.
One of the worst Russian attacks during the
period under review came as early as the night
of Wednesday, July 1, into Thursday, July 2, when
30 people were killed in Kyiv. It is becoming
clear that Ukraine is short of Patriot missiles,
which are the only ones capable of intercepting
Russian ballistic missiles. Deliveries of
Patriots had been steadily declining, and after
the American adventure in Iran they fell even
further. While Ukrainian defenses are capable
of neutralizing the overwhelming majority of
drones and cruise missiles, ballistic missiles
continue to strike Ukrainian cities. During
this night, a record 52,500 people, including
nearly 4,500 children, took shelter in the
Kyiv Metro. The new Russian S8000 Banderol
cruise missile was used for the first time in
this attack; it carries a 114-kilogram warhead.
Three Major Mistakes
Another major attack on Kyiv followed on
the night of Sunday, July 5, into Monday, July
6. One apartment building partially collapsed
after being hit, killing nine people, including
an entire family. Another 60 people were
injured in the building. The attack claimed at
least 17 lives in total. However, the first major
Ukrainian mistake of the period under review
also contributed to this to some extent. The
Russians, of course, do not attack only civilian
targets. When they identify a valuable military
target, they attack that as well. And on this
night they hit an ammunition warehouse in
the Vyshneve district. However, it had been
located, in violation of all regulations and
common sense, in the middle of a residential
area, only about 20 meters from the nearest
houses. The subsequent secondary explosions
destroyed a number of surrounding buildings
and killed seven residents. Another 29 people
were injured.
Certainly, the Iskander missile that struck the
warehouse was Russian, and without Russian
aggression none of this would have happened.
But war is a reality, and basic caution should
reflect that reality. A preliminary investigation
into the incident showed that the ammunition
was not being stored there by the military, but
by an arms-manufacturing company. It was
using facilities that were neither protected
in any way nor intended for storing explosive
substances, let alone for long-term storage.
Ukrainian regulations also prohibit any storage
of ammunition in built-up areas. The company’s
director and his deputy were therefore taken
into custody without the possibility of bail.
As if that were not enough, similar
reprehensible and senseless negligence
occurred again less than two weeks later.
On Friday, July 24, a private company
organized a weapons exhibition in Kyiv,
focusing primarily on drone technologies. The
invitation to the event was circulated on social
media and, naturally, the Russians noticed it as
well. In the afternoon, they struck the venue
with two ballistic missiles. At least 12 people
were killed, including an employee of a Polish
arms company. Another 100 were injured.
According to unofficial sources, the death toll
from the attack was even higher. The exhibition
organizer was arrested, and a court ruled that
he would remain in pre-trial detention for at
least 60 days without the possibility of bail.
The third serious mistake occurred on the
political scene. Defense Minister Mykhailo
Fedorov had been in office for only half
a year, since January 2026. He launched
audits that uncovered unnecessary spending,
and by introducing open tenders instead of
direct contracts, he managed to reduce the
prices of purchased ammunition. He was
also a supporter of new technologies (having
previously served as Minister of Digital
Transformation) and sought reforms in the
area of military mobilization. Fedorov gained
popularity among the population through his
results, but some of his efforts encountered
Strikes against Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov.
AIR WAR IN UKRAINE
INFO Eduard
27
September 2026