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A firefighter inspects a supermarket destroyed by a Russian drone strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on July 26 (local time). / Reuters, Yonhap News

CNN reported on July 27 (local time) that the Ukrainian government estimated civilian casualties hit a record monthly high during the war with Russia, which has lasted for over four years.

Since the beginning of this month, Russian attacks have killed at least 377 civilians and injured 2,129. This represents the largest monthly toll of civilian casualties in Ukraine since tracking began in April 2022.

Russia recently deployed a large number of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and attacked Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, multiple times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained that over the past week, Russia used approximately 1,700 drones, more than 1,630 guided air-dropped bombs, and about 50 ballistic missiles.

"We must neutralize Russia's terror strategy using ballistic missiles," President Zelenskyy said on social media on July 26.

He also stressed that "To save lives, all interceptor missiles need to be in Ukraine's air defense system right now," adding that "Those missiles should not be sitting in partner countries' warehouses."

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces attacked a supermarket in Chernihiv with a drone that day, killing a 10-year-old child and an adult while injuring three others.

The Ukrainian military recently used drones and missiles to attack Russian energy facilities, destroying several oil refineries.

In response, Russia extended its diesel export ban until the end of this year and struck gas stations in northern Ukraine in retaliation, while also intensifying attacks on Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea and the Danube River.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. think tank, analyzed in a report published on July 25 that "While Russian officials claim the economic situation is stabilizing and that they are overcoming the fuel crisis, many regions, including Russia and its occupied territories, continue to suffer from fuel shortages."

                                                                                                             Kim Hyun-min