Ukraine has seen the highest number of civilian casualties in the war with Russia this month for more than four years, according to government figures. Russian attacks this month have killed at least 377 civilians and injured 2,129, making it the deadliest month of the war since April 2022. The attacks this month have included a high number of ballistic missiles, which are difficult to intercept, and have targeted the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on multiple occasions. Russia has used nearly 1,700 drones, more than 1,630 guided aerial bombs, and more than 50 ballistic missiles in the last week, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We must undercut Russia’s gamble on ballistic terror,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X Sunday. “Every interceptor missile right now is literally helping save lives if it is here, in Ukrainian systems, not in our partners’ warehouses,” he added. To underline Zelenskyy’s point, authorities said 10-year-old child and an adult were killed and three other people were injured in a Russian drone attack on a supermarket in Chernihiv on Sunday, according to local authorities. Zelenskyy has frequently appealed for more Patriot and other air defence systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Ukraine has continued its drone and missile campaign against Russian energy infrastructure in the last week, with several refineries targeted. The campaign has led Russia to extend its ban on diesel exports until the end of the year. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Saturday the government will consider lifting the ban on diesel exports “as the market recovers.” “Many areas of Russia and occupied Ukraine continue to struggle with fuel shortages, though Russian officials are increasingly posturing that the economic situation and fuel crisis are stabilizing,” the Institute for the Study of War in Washington said Saturday. Russia has retaliated by attacking fuel stations in northern Ukraine and has also stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and on the Danube river. For the third consecutive day, the Romanian air force Sunday shot down a Russian drone over the Black Sea. The defence ministry said that the drone was shot down above Romanian territorial waters. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said that it was “inadmissible and intolerable” for Russia to violate Romanian airspace. The Russian ambassador in Bucharest was summoned to the Foreign Ministry Sunday.
