Kyiv, July 4, 2026. Ukraine has entered the 1592nd day of full-scale confrontation in conditions of intense air duels and fierce fighting on the contact line. The current day was marked by another massive combined attack by the occupation forces on the country’s civil and energy infrastructure using a wide range of unmanned vehicles and ballistics. At the same time, the Defense Forces continue to increase the potential for long-range strikes on the aggressor’s rear facilities, transferring the economic cost of the war to the territory of the Russian Federation. As analysts of the information portal 34.ua note , the strategic situation requires the state to accelerate systemic reforms in the field of resource mobilization and strengthening the integration of foreign military components.
Operational situation and scale of air terror
On the night of July 4, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recorded and repelled a large-scale attack in which the enemy used an Iskander-M ballistic missile from temporarily occupied Crimea, a Kh-59/69 guided aircraft missile, and 86 strike UAVs of various types. Among the drones, in addition to the usual Shaheds, a large number of simulator drones (“Gerbera”, “Parody”, “Italmas”) were identified, designed to overload the Ukrainian air defense system. The forces of mobile fire groups and electronic warfare equipment destroyed or lost 69 drones.
Despite the effective work of the sky defenders, two missiles and 17 kamikaze drones were recorded hitting 16 locations in the country. Enemy strikes damaged the warehouse infrastructure in the Odessa region and civilian gas stations in the Poltava region. Heavy defensive battles continue on the front line: over the past day, the General Staff recorded over a hundred clashes, during which about 1,190 occupiers were eliminated and a record 100 units of enemy artillery were destroyed. In response to Russian terror, Ukrainian long-range drones carried out successful raids on fuel terminals and military facilities in the Leningrad region and near Moscow.
Expert opinions
Mykhailo Volkov, political analyst, expert in the field of military logistics and national security: “The enemy’s massive use of cheap dummy drones together with ballistics is a classic tactic to exhaust our reserves of scarce anti-aircraft missiles before the expected deliveries of new Western complexes. However, the strategic parity is shifting: the Ukrainian defense industry has reached a level where mirror strikes on the Russian oil and gas infrastructure are becoming systemic. Depriving the aggressor of export revenues in the Baltic and Black Sea regions is the most effective lever for forcing the Kremlin into real, rather than declarative, negotiations.”
Anna Dmytrenko, independent lawyer, specialist in international and military law: “An important domestic legal event of these days was the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of new rules for attracting foreign volunteers to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a systemic step that eliminates bureaucratic obstacles to the legal transit and logistics of foreign fighters who want to strengthen our units. From an international point of view, this fully legitimizes their legal status as combatants in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, protecting them from legal prosecution, and strengthens the institutional capacity of the International Legion for years to come.”
Practical recommendations for interacting with martial law challenges:
Maintaining information hygiene during air strikes: If there is information about a mass launch of simulator drones, it is critically important not to publish real-time UAV movement vectors. Visual data from open sources is used by the enemy to adjust the routes of subsequent ballistic waves.
Legal status verification for foreign citizens: persons planning to join the defense structures of Ukraine should apply exclusively through official diplomatic institutions or verified recruiting centers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to receive a full package of social and legal guarantees in accordance with the new legislation.
Systematic support for logistical preparations: in the conditions of the summer campaign and high intensity of artillery duels, the priority in donations should shift to tactical medical equipment and electronic warfare components, which will significantly reduce losses among personnel on the first line of defense.