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Russia Launched 9,000+ Drones and Missiles at Ukraine in July, Air Defenses Downed Over 5,300
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Ukraine's air defenses intercepted more than 5,300 Russian aerial targets during intensified attacks in July, including more than 5,100 strike drones and 216 missiles, the Ministry of Defense reported on August 7.
According to the ministry, Russia launched more than 9,000 drones and missiles against Ukraine during the month, excluding reconnaissance UAVs.
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Ukraine's air defense forces shot down 5,142 strike drones—including Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas UAVs—out of a total of 8,653 launched, as well as 216 missiles of various types. The military also reported intercepting more than 48,000 tactical-level drones, which are tracked separately from the overall aerial attack statistics.
Among the missile attacks, Russia launched 265 cruise missiles, of which Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 187.
The ministry said ballistic missiles remain the most difficult threat to counter. Of the 195 ballistic missiles launched by Russia in July, Ukrainian forces intercepted only 29, while another 40 failed to reach their intended targets.
The ministry attributed the low interception rate to a shortage of interceptor missiles, particularly for Patriot air defense systems.
Officials highlighted several of the month's largest attacks, including those on July 2, July 6, and July 30. During the overnight strike on July 6, Ukrainian air defenses did not intercept any ballistic missiles, while only one ballistic missile was shot down during the July 30 attack.
“Ballistic missiles remain the main challenge for air defense. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is systematically working to expand air defense capabilities, particularly together with international partners—from receiving new systems and interceptor missiles to developing other elements of a layered defense,” the ministry said.
The report comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had asked US President Donald Trump to urgently provide Ukraine with an emergency package of 300 Patriot interceptor missiles.
According to Axios, Zelenskyy warned that without the additional interceptors, Ukraine would be unable to adequately protect its energy infrastructure from Russian ballistic missile attacks during the winter. He noted that this could lead to widespread power and heating outages affecting millions of civilians and potentially trigger a humanitarian crisis.
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