The Ukraine War Keeps Intensifying: On the Morning of July 6th (local time), Russia carried out a massive drone/missile attack against the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as part of an intensified campaign against what Kremlin propagandists call the “terror regime.” The attack resulted in the deaths of seven civilians, with at least 24 more wounded across the region. This, along with the previous missile attack from last week, marks a significant increase in civilian casualties as a result of Russian attacks.
The renewed campaign has likely been caused by Kyiv’s own drone campaign, which has successfully struck fuel refineries across the country.
Putin at a Conference 2026. Kremlin Handout Photo.
Moscow’s response seems to be to clamp down even harder on Ukraine, with civilians on both sides left to bear the consequences of the violence.
Russian Attacks Increasing Against Kyiv
The attack utilized a combination of attack drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles launched from sea-based missile carriers, Tu-95, and Tu-160 strategic bombers, and Zircon hypersonic missiles.
In the aftermath, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed that nearly all cruise missiles had been intercepted, although based on independent reports, this is likely false.
The targets of the strike were military industrial sites, logistics hubs, and the usual energy infrastructure. Other targets, likely military-related, were also struck in the Vinnytsia Oblast. Interestingly, Russia has increased its use of Zircon hypersonic missiles in its attacks against Ukraine, as the previous attack, which took place on July 2, reportedly utilized around 12 Zircons.
In the past weeks, Russia has been increasing the frequency and intensity of its attacks. In June, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow would be ramping up its attacks in response to Ukraine’s long-range weapons and advised foreigners to evacuate the city. Many analysts (including pro-Russian sources) dismissed these warnings as more performative rhetoric from the Kremlin.
Putin in August 2021 Russian Federation Photo
Now, it seems like Moscow is actually serious about ramping up its war efforts against Kyiv’s military-industrial center, which has been the primary target of Moscow’s recent attacks. In fact, as of writing, Russia has launched yet another attack against Kyiv using ballistic missiles, taking full advantage of Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors.
The Rising Human Costs of the War
Russia’s most recent attacks have seen an unusual increase in civilian casualties. In the past, Moscow’s massive attacks, even according to Ukrainian sources, would kill or injure few people, rarely reaching double digits.
Now, however, Putin’s attacks against Ukraine seem to be less concerned about the civilian cost. The attack on July 2nd claimed the lives of at least 40 civilians and injured over 100 more.
The most recent attack killed seven civilians and wounded at least 24 more (the real count is likely much higher).
Some of the damage to residential areas was caused by fallout from the Zhulyany Machine-Building Plant “Vizar,” which manufactures parts for the S-300 interceptors, the Neptune anti-ship missiles, and the FP-9 Flamingo cruise missiles.
Since the most recent wave of attacks, heartbreaking accounts from civilians in Kyiv have been circulated, as regular Ukrainians once again find themselves in Moscow’s crossfire. “I lived here,” one civilian said after her apartment had been destroyed in the wake of a Russian missile attack. “I lived well here for many years. Now all I have is a bag. I grabbed it, and that’s it.”
The situation is only exacerbated by Ukraine’s critical lack of PAC-3 interceptors, which are critical for the city’s defense against cruise and ballistic missiles. “As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media. Ukraine’s civilians have also had to shoulder the rising fuel shortages around Ukraine, as Russia has been ramping up its attacks against gas stations and transport locomotives around the country, which have disrupted the regular lifestyles of thousands of Ukrainians.
Putin’s Response to Ukraine’s Drone Campaign
Unfortunately, Ukraine is unlikely to find any sympathy from the Kremlin, as Putin seems to be hardening his heart against Ukraine. “There is a war going on; this is a real war,” said Dimitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s main spokesman. It continues like a war, because behind Kyiv there is Berlin, and Paris, and The Hague, and Oslo, and, unfortunately, Washington,” he added.
As an aside, it is unusual for any Kremlin-related figures to refer to the current conflict as a full-blown war. Russian officials pretty much always use the term “special military opperation” when reffuring to Ukraine, to avoided the nasty implications that come with the term “war.”
Peskov’s remarks constitute an unusual breach of Kremlin etiquette and likely signal a broader shift in Moscow’s handling of the war.
The recent increase in attacks is an unfortunate but ultimately predictable reaction to Kyiv’s recent drone attacks, which have damaged oil refineries and other infrastructure across the country.
Many Western analysts hoped that the attacks against Moscow would force Putin to the negotiating table to end the war once and for all. Instead, the Kremlin seems to have doubled down on its war effort and is now focused on destroying Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.
Neither side seems to be interested in pursuing peace at the moment, despite the occasional rhetoric.
The war will likely continue for many more years, and the unfortunate civilians on both sides are likely to be the biggest victims as they bear the economic and kinetic burden of the attacks.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
