26 August was recorded as the date of the most extensive aerial assault on Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Russia launched a total of 127 missiles and 109 drones. Although Ukrainian air defences demonstrated remarkable effectiveness by intercepting the majority of incoming targets, strikes against energy infrastructure caused widespread electricity and water outages across many regions of the country, including Kyiv.

During the defence against this attack, a tragic incident occurred: for the first time, F-16 fighter jets were employed in combat operations, yet one aircraft crashed, resulting in the death of an experienced pilot, Oleksii Mes, known by the call sign “Moonfish.”

On the following day, the situation in Donetsk Oblast further deteriorated as Russian forces captured Novohrodivka and the village of Kalynove. General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that despite the critical situation in Donbas, the operation in Kursk Oblast was continuing, with Ukraine controlling approximately 100 Russian localities and nearly 1,300 square kilometres of territory. In response to these developments, Russia redeployed around 30,000 troops to Kursk Oblast, while attempting not to weaken its offensive toward Pokrovsk. The same day also brought another wave of missile strikes on hotels in Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, resulting in civilian casualties.

On 30 August, Russian FAB-500 aerial bombs struck a 12-storey residential building and a park in Kharkiv, killing seven people and injuring nearly one hundred others. On the ground front, the loss of Karlivka and Stelmakhivka was confirmed, while Russian forces managed to recapture the village of Korenevo in Kursk Oblast, signalling increasing resistance faced by the invaders on their own territory. Within Ukraine’s military leadership, abrupt personnel changes followed: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the Commander of the Air Force, General Mykola Oleshchuk—a decision widely linked in public debate to the controversy surrounding the F-16 crash. At the same time, the U.S. Army signed a USD 1.3 billion contract for the production of Javelin missiles, a substantial portion of which is intended to equip Ukrainian anti-tank brigades.

According to analyses by the DeepState project and British intelligence, Russian advances toward Pokrovsk accelerated markedly in the final days of August, with Russian forces closing to within just 10 kilometres of the outskirts of this critical logistical hub. General Oleksandr Pavliuk accused Russian forces of deliberately destroying the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast using aerial bombs, likening these actions to a “scorched earth” tactic. In Donbas, Russian forces continued their advance near Chasiv Yar, where heavy artillery fire killed five civilians.

The beginning of September brought a series of tragic attacks on Ukrainian civilian facilities, including in Kharkiv, where at least ten ballistic missiles injured nearly 50 people and destroyed sports and commercial infrastructure. Simultaneously, in Sumy, a Russian missile struck a children’s rehabilitation centre and an orphanage, injuring 18 people, including many children. Ukraine responded with one of its largest drone attacks to date on Russian territory, launching 158 unmanned aerial vehicles across 15 regions. These strikes caused major fires at a Gazprom refinery in Moscow and at the Konakovo power plant in Tver Oblast. On the ground, Russian forces likely seized Mykhailivka and Dolynivka.

3 September became one of the deadliest days of 2024, when two Russian ballistic missiles hit the Military Institute of Telecommunications in Poltava, killing at least 58 people and injuring more than 300. The attack triggered intense debate over the security of military gatherings. At the same time, the situation near Pokrovsk remained critical. According to analyses by the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), Russian forces reached the outskirts of Myrnohrad, while Ukrainian troops were compelled to withdraw from Karlivka to avoid encirclement. In domestic Ukrainian politics, an unprecedented cabinet reshuffle occurred, with several key ministers—including Oleksandr Kamyshin and Iryna Vereshchuk—submitting their resignations. President Zelenskyy justified the move by the need for “new energy” and for strengthening state institutions ahead of a decisive autumn. On the front line, another Russian war crime was reported: the execution of three Ukrainian prisoners of war near Toretsk, captured on drone footage.

On 4 September, Russian aerial terror struck Lviv. A night-time attack killed seven people, including nearly an entire family—a mother and her three daughters—shocking public opinion in western Ukraine. As Russia systematically targeted educational facilities on the eve of the school year, the Ukrainian army introduced a novel and fearsome weapon to the battlefield: so-called “dragon drones,” dispersing thermite capable of incinerating enemy positions at temperatures approaching 2,500°C.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, declared that the Russian offensive directly against Pokrovsk had been halted, with the enemy failing to advance even a single metre in that sector for six consecutive days—an outcome he attributed directly to the success of the Kursk operation.

Illustrative photo generated by AI