Russia and Ukraine intensified their military campaigns over the past week, with fierce fighting along the eastern front, fresh waves of long-range drone and missile attacks, and continued strikes on each other’s energy and transport infrastructure. While Russian forces kept up pressure in the Donbas, Ukraine expanded its campaign against Russian fuel depots, rail hubs and military facilities far behind the front line, seeking to undermine Moscow’s ability to sustain the war.
The result was another week marked by civilian casualties, widespread destruction and renewed international efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses, with little indication that peace talks are any closer.
The heaviest fighting remained concentrated in eastern Ukraine, where Russia continued its summer offensive. Battles raged around Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kupiansk as Russian troops pressed forward with infantry assaults backed by artillery and glide bombs. Ukrainian military officials reported dozens of clashes each day, describing the Kostiantynivka and Sloviansk sectors as the most active parts of the front. Russia also maintained pressure in the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk directions.
Although Russia retained the battlefield initiative, its advances remained gradual and came at a significant cost. Independent analysts continued to report only limited territorial gains rather than any major breakthrough. Ukrainian defenses largely held the line, even as Russian forces sought to improve their positions around key supply routes leading toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Moscow also continued probing attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region and along the border areas of Sumy and Kharkiv.
Ukraine, meanwhile, stepped up its long-range strike campaign inside Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “40-day campaign,” launched in late June, entered another active phase, targeting oil refineries, fuel depots, rail hubs, military factories and logistics infrastructure across Russia and occupied Crimea. Ukrainian drones reportedly struck a number of strategic sites during the week, continuing a campaign that analysts say has disrupted parts of Russia’s fuel production and complicated military logistics.
Pressure on Russia’s energy sector has become one of Ukraine’s most significant strategies. Repeated attacks on refineries have forced shutdowns or reduced production at several facilities, contributing to fuel shortages that prompted Moscow to impose restrictions on diesel exports in an effort to stabilize domestic supplies. Russian officials acknowledged continuing fuel problems in several regions, while reports of long lines at gas stations persisted. Analysts say Kyiv hopes to gradually weaken Russia’s ability to sustain prolonged offensive operations by targeting the logistical backbone of its war effort.
Russia answered with another wave of large-scale missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. Kyiv once again came under ballistic missile attack, with residential areas damaged, fires breaking out and at least two civilians killed. Russian strikes also targeted facilities linked to Ukraine’s defense industry, as well as infrastructure at the ports of Odesa and Pivdennyi, which Moscow said were being used for military cargo and fuel shipments. Ukrainian authorities also reported attacks across Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson and several other regions, with civilian infrastructure repeatedly hit.
Ukraine’s southern ports remained under particularly heavy pressure. Russian missile and drone strikes targeted Black Sea port infrastructure, including facilities involved in grain exports and logistics. Moscow claimed it had destroyed drone production sites, storage facilities and military vessels approaching the Odesa region, while Kyiv accused Russia of deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure and export terminals. The attacks underscored the strategic importance of Black Sea logistics for both sides.
Civilian casualties continued to rise throughout the week. Russian air attacks killed and injured civilians in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and several frontline regions. Homes, industrial facilities and transport infrastructure suffered extensive damage as repeated overnight barrages stretched Ukraine’s already strained air defense network. Humanitarian organizations warned that civilians in frontline cities remain especially vulnerable to Russia’s continued use of glide bombs and missile strikes.
Ukraine also maintained strikes against military targets in occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. Reports indicated successful attacks on Russian naval assets and military infrastructure supporting operations in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces also continued targeting air defense systems, ammunition depots and command centers in an effort to complicate Russia’s operations across multiple fronts.
Military analysts say Ukraine’s increasingly sophisticated long-range strike campaign has become one of its most important strategic tools. Rather than launching major ground offensives with limited manpower, Kyiv appears focused on steadily degrading Russia’s logistics, fuel supplies, air defenses and command network while preserving its own defensive positions.
International backing for Ukraine also evolved during the week. The European Union and Ukraine signed a Defense Industrial Partnership aimed at expanding joint weapons production, signaling a broader shift from supplying arms toward long-term industrial cooperation. The agreement covers joint production of drones, counter-drone technologies and, eventually, advanced missile systems, while further integrating Ukraine’s rapidly growing defense industry with European manufacturers.
Welcoming the agreement, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “We have done a lot to integrate our defense capabilities and production with those of Europe. Today, we also have the first document laying the groundwork for the Drone Deal, a major defense agreement between Ukraine and the European Union.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine had become “a net security provider for Europe,” adding, “You are not only fighting for your own future but for the security of our entire continent.”
Britain also announced a significant industrial contribution by delivering newly manufactured artillery barrels produced in Sheffield under a £61 million agreement involving Sheffield Forgemasters and BAE Systems. The shipment marks the first British-produced artillery barrels in nearly 20 years and is intended to help Ukraine sustain high-intensity artillery operations over the long term.
Diplomatic efforts continued despite the lack of meaningful peace negotiations. European leaders used Ukraine’s Statehood Day celebrations in Kyiv to reaffirm their political, military and economic support, focusing on deeper defense cooperation, Black Sea security, support for Ukraine’s defense industry and the country’s long-term integration with European institutions. Meanwhile, the United States continued discussions on additional sanctions targeting countries helping sustain Russia’s wartime economy, while intelligence cooperation between Washington and Kyiv remained in place despite a slower pace of direct US weapons deliveries.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
