Russia and Ukraine intensified attacks against each other, killing nine people in total, according to official claims reported on 13 July 2026. The escalation matters because it shows that the war remains active despite diplomatic efforts and because Ukraine’s air-defence capacity is under strain from repeated ballistic missile attacks.

What happened

Russia launched drones and missiles overnight at Ukraine and killed four people, while Ukrainian strikes on Russia and on Russian-occupied areas killed five people. The attacks came a day before Ukraine’s allies were scheduled to meet in Paris to discuss pressure on Russia to end the more than four-year war.

United States-led efforts to end the fighting have stalled recently, partly because Washington has shifted attention to its war with Iran.

Current military and diplomatic picture

Russia has increased ballistic missile strikes, and the note says dozens have been killed since July, including in Kyiv. Russian strikes in Ukraine also killed people in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, at an industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rig, and in a drone attack on Kherson.

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