Russia Launches 126 Ballistic Missiles in July Marking Highest Monthly Surge of the Year

During July, Russian forces fired roughly 126 ballistic missiles at Ukraine—including Iskander-M, North Korean KN-23, and S-300 and S-400 systems—marking the highest monthly total recorded this year.

Figures compiled by the Eye of Horus monitoring group show a steady rise in usage following 96 missiles launched in June, 86 in May, 50 in April, 39 in March, 116 in February, and 74 in January, as reported by Militarnyi on August 2.

The surge in attacks comes as Ukrainian air defense units face a deficit of PAC-3 interceptor missiles for their Patriot systems.

Although Ukrainian air defenses briefly resumed intercepting Russian ballistic missiles on July 14 following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's announcement of an incoming PAC-3 shipment, the interceptions halted again by the end of the month. This drop occurred despite the initial July 9 delivery announcement.

Air defense forces shot down just 1 of 9 missiles fired on July 30, and only 1 of 27 launched on August 1.

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Russia Sends Sanctioned Arms Ship Loaded With BMP-3s to Prop Up Mali’s Junta

Aug 02, 2026 17:13

On July 29, 2026, Russian forces launched a major overnight aerial attack across Ukraine involving dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, which resulted in eight fatalities nationwide.

During the assault, a missile struck a residential house in the settlement of Radushne, near Kryvyi Rih, completely destroying the building and killing at least six members of a local family who were trapped inside.

Preliminary investigations indicated that Russian forces used a North Korean ballistic missile—likely a KN-23 or KN-24—for the strike, marking the first recorded use of such weaponry in nearly a year since August 2025.

Military sources noted that this deployment after a lengthy gap suggested Moscow had secured a new shipment of munitions to sustain its intensified campaign, supported by North Korea's ongoing supply of artillery shells and military personnel.

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