The intensification of attacks on civilian targets has become a measurable trend in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. According to the United Nations Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, at least 200 civilians were killed and 1,234 injured between September 1 and September 24, 2026. In the capital, Kiev, attacks against civilians were recorded on 16 out of 24 days, a frequency described as "never recorded in the capital since the beginning of the large-scale invasion." The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, analyzed by AFP, recorded 118 strikes or series of strikes in the Kiev region from September 1 to September 18. This is the highest number for any full month since 2022, except March 2022, despite a temporary pause in Russian attacks on the capital from September 5 to 7, when Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Wikoff and Jared Kushner, were in the country. Warehouses, shops, and gas stations near the capital have become priority targets, with several civilian victims being workers or railway employees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on September 28 that Russia had launched more than 2,200 drones, 1,630 glide bombs, and 38 missiles in just one week. This increase adds to the already high toll recorded in August, which saw 372 deaths and 2,349 injured. The cumulative toll for the first eight months of 2026 is 55% higher than in 2025, with 2,222 deaths and 13,058 injured. Long-range weapons, such as missiles and drones, are responsible for 47% of the casualties. This acceleration occurs as the front line, under pressure from a second major Ukrainian counteroffensive, has stalled. The Russian army captured only 5 km² of territory in August, its weakest progress since October 2023. Morale is also deteriorating within Russia as the war extends into its economy and territory. According to the Russian institute IKAR, 81% of Russians would favor ending the war "as soon as tomorrow," a record since the start of the invasion. In June, only 52% believed the country "was moving in the right direction," the lowest level since February 2022, according to the Levada Center. That same month, attacks on oil infrastructure were the most frequently cited event by those surveyed (24%). As the conflict continues, the war may be entering a new phase. Yaroslav Trofimov notes that Russia's ability to mass-produce difficult-to-intercept reaction drones and its decision to deploy them mainly against civilian infrastructure in Kiev have transformed the nature of the war. A reference Telegram channel, Rybar, founded by Mikhaïl Zvintchuk, a former member of the press service of the Ministry of Defense, describes the "war of cities" as a strategy of economic attrition. This approach aims to transform Ukraine into "a useless asset for its sponsors," potentially costing Europe more than 50 billion euros annually, while making reconstruction unprofitable. The objective, according to the channel, is for the Union to eventually "consider the country as lost," even in the case of a conflict freeze. The term "war of cities" originates from the Iran-Iraq war, which between 1984 and 1988 was characterized by the bombing of major cities to break civilian morale. Specialist in air warfare, Robert Pape, distinguishes "denial" coercion, which targets the military means of the adversary, from "punishment" coercion, which targets its population to make its government yield. Russia has razed several Ukrainian cities since the start of the invasion, including Mariupol, which was destroyed to more than 80% at the beginning of 2022, as well as Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Tchassiv Yar in the Donetsk oblast.