On 28 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the fighting in Donetsk Oblast as extremely difficult, pointing to the concentration of Russian offensive operations in the Pokrovsk sector. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recorded Russian advances northwest of Avdiivka and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, while Ukrainian forces regained positions in the Siversk direction. 

Over the course of the day, 128 combat engagements took place, and Russian shelling of Nikopol and Komyshany wounded sixteen people, including five children. Ukrainian services (the SBU and the military) conducted a successful strike on an oil depot and an electrical substation in Kursk Oblast, causing numerous fuel tank fires.

On 29 July, Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack against Russian electrical substations in Kursk Oblast and launched a cyberattack against the Russian central bank. Meanwhile, the United States and Germany announced additional military aid packages, including ammunition for NASAMS and HIMARS systems and Leopard 1A5 tanks. President Zelenskyy reiterated that a ceasefire would be conditional upon the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.

By the end of July, Russian troops had seized the village of Tymofiivka in Donetsk Oblast, continuing their advances near Chasiv Yar and Toretsk. Russia carried out one of the most massive drone attacks on Ukraine using 89 Shahed-type UAVs, all of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, primarily over Kyiv Oblast. Ukrainian intelligence explained that the Russians employed a large number of decoy drones to probe air defense systems, and at least five UAVs entered Belarusian airspace. At the same time, international media outlets and Bloomberg reported the delivery of the first F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from the Netherlands. In Kursk Oblast, Ukraine struck a weapons and military equipment depot, while a Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down over Donetsk. On the domestic front, the Freedom of Russia Legion announced its withdrawal from the Irpin Declaration, ending its participation in previous political initiatives.

August began with an escalation of Russian attacks targeting civilians, critical infrastructure, and Ukraine’s humanitarian support base. During the first days of the month, this once again demonstrated a pattern of actions bearing the hallmarks of war crimes and acts of a genocidal character, particularly through the systematic endangerment of children and civilians.

In Kyiv Oblast, a Russian drone strike damaged two residential houses and injured two civilians, while fragments of a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile—regularly used against non-military targets—were recovered from a pond in the capital. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, described the frontline situation as difficult. The Commander of the Ground Forces, General Oleksandr Pavliuk, reported that July brought exceptionally high Russian personnel and equipment losses, confirming the scale of intensive, often frontal assaults conducted at the cost of their own soldiers’ lives.

The Institute for the Study of War noted that Russian advances toward Pokrovsk were primarily enabled by Ukrainian manpower shortages; however, further offensives may slow in more densely populated areas. That same day, Russian artillery shelling in Nikopol killed two civilian women, and in Kharkiv Oblast a Russian missile struck a railway station, wounding a conductor and damaging energy infrastructure, consistent with a long-term strategy of paralyzing civilian support systems. Internationally, Ukraine signed an agreement with the World Bank for USD 3.9 billion in direct financial support from the United States, and the second Ukrainian Ada-class corvette, “Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi,” was launched in Istanbul. Meanwhile, an investigation by CIT and the iStories portal revealed that Russia systematically inflates official contract recruitment figures, confirming a mobilization crisis within the aggressor state.

Russian forces continued their offensive near Serhiivka and Zhelanne, expanding their controlled territory by 57 square kilometers over the course of the week. On 2 August, Ukrainian forces conducted a precision missile strike on Sevastopol, sinking the Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don and seriously damaging elements of the S-400 air defense system. In Kharkiv Oblast, a Russian drone struck a bus in Derhachi, injuring seven civilians, constituting another direct attack on unarmed populations. Internationally, Romania and Ukraine announced cooperation in the production and modernization of Neptune missiles, while the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, announced preparations for an operation targeting the Crimean Bridge, a symbol of the Russian occupation.

During Air Force Day celebrations on 4 August, President Zelenskyy confirmed that the first F-16 fighter jets had entered service, emphasizing their importance for protecting civilians from Russian missile attacks. On the front line in Donetsk Oblast, authorities ordered the forced evacuation of 744 children along with their families from Hrodivka and Novohrodivka, highlighting the scale of the threat to minors resulting from Russian combat operations conducted in close proximity to residential areas.

On 5 August, Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the complete destruction of a Russian Su-34 bomber and warehouse infrastructure at the Morozovsk airbase. President Zelenskyy proposed establishing a regional coalition of NATO states capable of protecting western Ukraine from Russian missiles, underscoring the growing importance of international engagement in safeguarding civilians.

Illustrative photo generated by AI