For Ukrainians, summer of 2026 proved to be one of the most challenging, if not the most difficult, in recent years.
In May, a new pattern of Russian attacks began, with the number of civilian victims per month reaching a record high since April 2022
. In June, the UN recorded 293 civilian deaths and 1990 injuries, demonstrating a sharp increase compared to previous months. In July, trend only intensified. According to the UN, Russian attacks killed at least 437 civilians and wounded another 2610 people in July. This is 30% more than in June and 70% more than in July 2024. In July, among the deceased were 17 children and 166 were injured.
Russia only intensifies its attacks, justifying them and destruction of civilians as a response to Ukrainian strikes on the Russian war machine, while increasing the duration and intensity of the attacks amid peace deal negotiations or at least statements of readiness for peace talks.
The geography of strikes is changing too: Russian attacks are less concentrated on areas near the front line, with long-range missiles and drones regularly reach major Ukrainian cities, while short-range drones and air bombs make life near the front almost a constant struggle to survive under fire.
According to the UN, attacks on merchant vessels and port infrastructure in Odesa and Mykolaiv Oblasts also intensified. Among them are attacks on maritime vessels that caused damage to ships or port infrastructure, and some of these also resulted in civilian casualties, including port and ship workers. These attacks have negatively impacted international transportation of goods and agricultural products across the Black Sea.
This summer also revealed a less visible but hard-to-ignore pattern: Russia is targeting Ukraine's cultural heritage - UNESCO World Heritage sites
, nationally significant landmarks, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions.
Several cultural sites have been struck within days, with some hit repeatedly or in so-called double strikes, increasing the risk of further destruction and casualties.
Russia's attacks on books intensified this summer as well. Publishing houses, book warehouses, and printing facilities have been attacked in various Ukrainian cities.
In August, Russian strikes increasingly began to hit Ukraine's supply chains - the warehouses, distribution centres and logistics hubs.
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Taras Vysotskyi, said that Russian attacks had destroyed around 90% of the food logistics for retail chains, stressing that this does not mean Ukraine faces a threat of shortages of food and goods, but warned that the destruction could limit the range of available goods and disrupt supply.
Throughout July, Russian strikes also hit industrial enterprises, grain-drying facilities, warehouses containing finished products and petrol stations.
Russia's goal is simple but cruel: to make it harder for Ukrainians to work, produce, transport, buy and maintain a normal civilian economy under wartime conditions,
especially when winter is less than three months away.
Ukraine demonstrates that it can fight back. But it needs support.
Ukraine uses its capabilities to weaken Russia's military machine, while Russia continues to deploy its vast arsenal of missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities, ports, businesses and civilian infrastructure.
Throughout the summer, Kyiv repeatedly warned of a critical shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly for Patriot air defence systems.
Ukraine continues to resist and strike the Russian military machine, but to continue doing so, it needs the main thing: the ability to protect people and everyday life.
