Russia has launched a record 377 missiles at Ukraine in July – with Ukraine downing only around half of that number, according to Kyiv Post’s estimates. The total doubles the previous record of 181 missiles set in June.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Kyiv Post compiled the data from the Ukrainian Air Force as of afternoon on July 31 and asserted that Russia has used more cruise missiles than ballistic missiles in its air raids in July, contradicting the air force’s earlier claim that ballistic missiles are “becoming more [common] in percentage terms.” Most Russian missiles launched after July 20 were cruise missiles, with the only exception on July 26, when Russia fired seven ballistic missiles and one cruise missile. Ukraine also had a higher success rate at intercepting cruise missiles in July – out of the 251 launched as of July 31, Ukraine managed to down or suppress 174, or about 69%. But out of the 126 ballistic missiles launched, only 36 were intercepted – roughly 29%, meaning for every four launched, around three managed to evade Ukrainian defenses. Ballistic missiles travel at far higher speeds than cruise missiles, following a steep ballistic trajectory that makes them harder to intercept. Cruise missiles, by contrast, fly more like aircraft, relying on low-altitude flight and maneuverability. Among the few systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles is the US-made Patriot air defense system, but Ukraine has faced persistent shortages of both the batteries and their interceptor missiles.