The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is intensifying as Russia responds to a series of Ukrainian strikes on its energy facilities with retaliatory attacks on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv.

According to AFP and Reuters on July 8 (local time), Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight, leaving one person dead and two injured.

The Ukrainian military and local authorities stated that while more than 80 percent of the 169 drones launched by Russia were shot down by air defense systems, all five ballistic missiles managed to evade interception.

Ukraine has been appealing to its allies for support, citing a shortage of air defense resources capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

According to Russia's state-run TASS news agency, the Russian military claimed to have struck the Flamingo missile component production plant in Kyiv.

Attacks were also reported in the southern Ukrainian regions of Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia, resulting in numerous casualties.

Russia has been launching a barrage of attacks targeting Kyiv and its surrounding areas throughout this month.

While Russia claims to be targeting military-related facilities rather than civilian infrastructure, approximately 60 civilians have been reported killed in three separate attacks over the past week or so.

According to Russian regional authorities, Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Nizhnekamsk region earlier today.

The area houses a large oil refinery and drone production facilities.

The Ukrainian military announced that it had struck nine vessels in the Sea of Azov, a key supply route connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russian-occupied territories in southern Ukraine.

The attacks targeting the shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov have continued for three consecutive days.

The objective is to cut off fuel supplies to Russian military units in the Crimean Peninsula and other occupied territories under effective Russian control.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it had shot down 415 Ukrainian drones over the past 12 hours.

The conflict is escalating as Ukraine ramps up its attacks on Russian energy facilities using long-range drones and Flamingo missiles.

On July 7, Ukraine demonstrated its long-range strike capabilities by attacking the Omsk oil refinery, Russia's largest, located 2,700 km away.

Attacks targeting infrastructure in Moscow are also continuing.

On the previous day, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit began, Ukraine launched 430 drones toward Moscow.

Due to the persistent Ukrainian attacks, it is reported that Russia has recently acknowledged a fuel shortage and begun importing gasoline from India and Kazakhstan.

Russia is the world's second-largest crude oil exporter.

With the conflict continuing despite the end-of-war agreement between the United States and Iran, the possibility of resuming peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remains uncertain.

The United States struck over 80 military targets in response to Iran's attack on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day, and Iran subsequently attacked U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.

(Photo: Yonhap News)