Russia's advance in Ukraine accelerates for fourth straight month

Telegraph

2 days ago

Russia has accelerated its gains across the front lines in Ukraine for the fourth consecutive month, new analysis has shown.
In one month, Vladimir Putin's invasion force captured 275 square miles of Ukrainian territory, compared to the 30 square miles reclaimed by Kyiv's troops, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said.
Moscow had made net gains of 195 square miles last month, 146 square miles in April and 92 square miles in March.
In recent days, Russia has claimed to have captured the town of Chasiv Yar, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Kyiv disputes the claim.
Russian forces have created at least four growing salients in the Donetsk region as they look to envelop the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk and capture the garrison towns of Kostiantynivka.
It comes as Donald Trump presses Vladimir Putin to end the war, threatening Russia with sanctions and tariffs on energy exports.
On Friday, he said Russia had lost 112,500 soldiers since the beginning of the year, while Ukraine had lost some 8,000, not including those who are still missing.
'Ukraine has also lost civilians, but in smaller numbers, as Russian rockets crash into Kyiv and other Ukrainian locales,' he said.
While the situation is becoming increasingly perilous for Ukraine, the front line is not at risk of a complete collapse, Michael Kofman, of the Carnegie Endowment, a US think tank, said after a recent trip to the country.
Russian forces have been able to capitalise on improvements to the deployment of drones, whittling away the Ukrainian advantage, which had helped it overcome Moscow's materiel and manpower advantages.
The Kremlin has also ratcheted up its long-range drone attacks on Ukrainian targets to the highest intensity since the start of the war.
Russian forces fired more drones at Ukraine in July than in any month since it launched the 2022 invasion, according to an analysis by AFP, the French news agency.
Russia fired 6,297 long-range drones into Ukraine last month – up nearly 16 per cent compared with last month, and the third straight monthly increase.
Moscow's armed forces also fired 198 missiles into Ukraine this month, more than in any month this year except in June, according to the data released by Ukraine's air force.
On Friday, Ukrainian officials increased the death toll to 31 from the Russian drone and missile barrage against Kyiv on July 31.
The number was revised after rescuers pulled three more bodies from the rubble from the 27 strike zones, which had included residential buildings, schools and a children's hospital.
A day of mourning for the dead in Kyiv was observed on Friday, with Ukrainian embassies across Europe lowering their flags to half-mast.
On Friday, Germany announced that it had delivered a further two Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine as part of a deal with Mr Trump to increase shipments of US weapons to the war-torn country.
The scheme had previously delivered one of the surface-to-air batteries, which are crucial in defending Ukrainian cities against incoming ballistic missiles fired by Russia.
'This is great news, and I welcome Germany's leadership. This will help ensure Ukraine is able to defend its skies, protect its people, and deter Russian aggression,' said Mark Rutte, Nato's secretary general.
With less than a week before Mr Trump's threatened deadline for the introduction of Russian sanctions, at least two vessels loaded with Russian oil bound for refineries in India were diverted to other destinations, Reuters reported on Friday.
The news wire, citing anonymous trade sources, said it was the result of US Treasury sanctions on 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities, and ships, some of which transport Russian oil. On Friday, India also began buying up oil from the Gulf and the US, Bloomberg reported.
The US president has threatened to hit Russia with a 100 per cent trade tariff and to also slap the same rate on countries buying fossil fuels from Moscow if Vladimir Putin refuses to end the war in Ukraine.
He is preparing 'shock and awe' sanctions on Russian exports, Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the powerful Senate foreign relations committee, has said.
On Friday, Putin signalled no change in his war plans despite the looming threat of US sanctions. The Russian president said his forces were advancing along the entire front line in Ukraine and claimed he would be willing to hold more peace talks with Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, also claimed he was prepared to meet Putin for face-to-face talks, doubling down on his attempt to show the Russians as the obstruction to peace.
He said he had discussed 'possible formats for peace negotiations at the level of leaders' in a phone call with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Friday.