Russia Shifts to Air Attacks as Ground Fighting Stalls

Russian forces seized only 516 square kilometers in 2026—less than 8 percent of what they gained the year before. Unable to push forward on the ground, they've turned to air strikes. On June 2 alone, attacks on three major Ukrainian cities killed at least 18 people and wounded over 100. These waves of missiles overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses and drain resources away from fighting on the ground.