The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has seen a significant escalation in aerial attacks, with both sides increasing their strikes and resulting in more civilian casualties. Ukraine has been able to hit areas of Russia that are thousands of miles away from the front line, with the sophistication of its drone technologies increasing rapidly in the last year.

Increased Attacks

Ukraine has carried out frequent attacks on refineries, oil tankers, power substations, and broader energy infrastructure, according to analysts. The Ukrainian government has said that the facilities are legitimate military targets because the company supplies Russia’s frontline troops. Russia has also increased its aerial attacks on Ukraine, with a daily average of 172 strikes on Ukraine, compared to 28 on average launched by Kyiv.

The escalation in the air war has led to even more civilian casualties. In June, the United Nations recorded the highest number of civilians in Ukraine killed and injured in a single month since 2022. The Russian foreign ministry has said that at least 797 Russian civilians have been killed so far this year.

International Response

The international community has been calling for an end to the conflict, with some observers noting that both the United States and Ukraine’s allies in Europe could be doing more to bolster the country’s position and enable talks that finally end the four-and-a-half-year war. The US had allocated more than $130 billion in support to Ukraine before February 2025, but Congress has not passed any new major financial or military aid packages for Ukraine during the second Trump administration.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.