Russia launches record glide‑bomb attacks on Ukraine, casualties surge

In July, Russia deployed a record 8,300 glide bombs against Ukraine, the highest monthly total since the conflict began. Ukraine’s defence ministry reported that the Russian armed forces suffered about 42,800 casualties in the same month, a rate it described as the highest of the war year.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian losses are being driven in part by Ukrainian drone strikes, which he said caused 30,272 Russian casualties in July. He also noted that Ukraine’s total war toll stands at roughly 450,000 people, including 50,000 deaths. The Institute for the Study of War estimated that Russia’s occupied territory in Ukraine shrank to just 37.85 sq km in July, a sharp decline from previous years.

The intensified use of glide bombs and ballistic missiles comes as Russia faces battlefield setbacks and domestic energy challenges, while President Vladimir Putin has so far avoided deploying regular conscripts in the “Special Military Operation.”