Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of an aerial attack in Kharkiv on July 24. This has been the deadliest summer so far in Russia's war on Ukraine, which began in February, 2022.SERGEY BOBOK/AFP/Getty Images
Ruchi Kumar is an Istanbul-based journalist who covers conflict, politics and gender.
The nights in Kyiv can get very loud. The explosions, which often sound like thunder, indicate the defence forces deflecting the hundreds of Russian drones and missiles infecting Ukraine’s skies.
Some of them manage to get past the defences and crash into residential buildings, schools, universities and even hospitals. An Iranian-designed Shahed drone is the size of a small car, so even the debris falling from a drone successfully shot down can cause tremendous damage.
On many mornings, Ukrainians find themselves emerging from bomb shelters to find the air thick with smoke and ground full of wreckage. The next few hours are spent finding the dead, rescuing the injured, and picking up pieces of what is left of their homes and businesses.
Russian strikes kill 27 civilians in Ukraine despite Trump threats
Such scenes have become increasingly routine in the last few months, as Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine, making this summer the deadliest since the start of its full-scale invasion in February, 2022. The attacks come on the heels of failed peace negotiations, which itself followed the United State’s shift from being Ukraine’s biggest ally to gradually starving the embattled country, where I recently spent two weeks, of its support.
In Kyiv and other cities, I saw a population fighting for its very survival as enemy missiles and drones are becoming increasingly familiar sights in the skies. On the ground, traces of war-related desolation are everywhere, from damaged civilian infrastructure to worrying speculations over an uncertain future.
Ukrainians have adapted their lives to the daily violence, and security protocols dictate much of everyday lives. Air raid alarms can interrupt the most mundane daily activity, and an afternoon coffee with friends or a fast food run to McDonald’s could end in tragedy.
Many public institutions such as schools, hospitals and even maternity wards, are moving operations underground with hopes of continuing services. Businesses are also finding unique ways to keep their work going, while individuals are sustaining political and social accountability, as witnessed during recent anti-corruption protests in Ukraine.
And while the people remain resilient, grasping at normalcy where they can find it, the oppressive violence is taking a toll, particularly among the younger generation that is dealing with a severe mental-health crisis.
Residents leave the site of a Russian air strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine on July 24.Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters
While U.S. President Donald Trump has often spoken of his warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and claimed the ability and intention to end Russian aggression in Ukraine, many of his recent policies may have inadvertently empowered Russia on the battlefield.
After the particularly rough night of April 24, when Russia struck Kyiv with 66 ballistic missiles and 145 drones, killing at least a dozen people, Mr. Trump expressed his frustration, posting “Vladimir, STOP!” on his Truth Social platform.
However, social media cannot provide the deterrent required to restrain Russian violence. Especially if such pleas are immediately followed by efforts that protect Russian interest – a Wall Street Journal report from June, for instance, revealed the Trump administration had been urging Senator Lindsey Graham to make changes to weaken a bill introducing sanctions against Russia.
Earlier, in March, the U.S. vetoed a Canadian proposal to establish a task force to tackle Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” – hundreds of aging oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
The U.S. also delayed the delivery of Abrams tanks promised by the Australian government to the Ukrainian military, although 49 of the decommissioned tanks were finally delivered to Ukraine on July 18.
However, among the most detrimental of the U.S.’s moves was halting the shipment of critical weapons delivery to Ukraine in July, which included the Patriot air defence systems that help Ukrainian military deflect Russian missiles and drones.
Not surprisingly, the attacks in April, which were the largest recorded since the start of the invasion, were soon dwarfed by consecutively bigger and deadlier attacks in July. On one particularly terrorizing night, July 9, Russia sent more than 700 drones, leaving swathes of communities in ruins.
Putin will only meet with Zelensky to sign off on peace deal, Kremlin says
Civilian casualties from these attacks has also jumped significantly, with over 1,500 civilian killed and injured in June, the highest numbers in three years. Children remain among the worst affected, with at least a 200-per-cent increase in child casualties this year, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
While the delivery of weapons has resumed, and Mr. Trump has, in his strongest words, issued a 50-day ultimatum to Russia to find a solution to the war, without tangible support the words strike hollow.
After being repeatedly held back, with just enough solidarity to survive, but not enough support to win, the Ukrainians are approaching the next few weeks with apprehension and caution. As one Ukrainian lawmaker pointed out, 50 days of inaction is a sufficient timeline for Russia to capture nearly 700 square kilometres of land.
On Monday, two weeks after setting the deadline, Mr. Trump said that he was “disappointed in President Putin” and established a new deadline of “10-12 days” without providing more details regarding the specific consequences of violating the timeline.
Russian officials have themselves dismissed these warnings, pointing out that similar threats from Mr. Trump in the past have yielded no action. They have continued to mount attacks on Kyiv and other major cities.
The two warring parties met again last week to discuss a potential end to the war. Until that happens, Western allies, particularly the U.S., must consolidate their support towards Ukraine, to allow them the negotiating edge they need. These can manifest in forms of tougher sanctions, investments in Ukrainian military and humanitarian support to a country that has been spending countless sleepless nights under the shadow of Russian bombs, all for the right to protect its independence and sovereignty.