Ukraine has declared the successful completion of an operation that recaptured 745 square kilometres (287 square miles) in the southern region of Dnipropetrovsk this year. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the campaign was carried out as planned and that almost 10,000 Russian soldiers were killed during it.
The advance liberated 26 settlements, according to Zelenskyy, and pushed Russian forces back across the regional borders of Donetsk and Zaporizhia. The announcement came as Russian drone and ballistic or hypersonic missile attacks continued against Ukrainian cities, killing at least nine people in strikes on Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
What Ukraine says it regained
The counteroffensive removed almost all of the territory Russia had gained in Dnipropetrovsk after entering the region in June 2025. The Institute for the Study of War, which assesses territorial control using geolocated open-source information, gave a more conservative assessment of at least 627 square kilometres (242 square miles) recaptured in the area.
Across the front, the institute assessed that Russia had suffered a net territorial loss of 233 square kilometres (90 square miles) this year. Russian offensives in Donetsk around Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka still captured territory and enabled infiltration, but reported Russian casualties reached about 39,000 in June and nearly 43,000 in July.
Related coverage: Kyiv court detains organiser of weapons expo hit by Russian missile attack.
Missile attacks intensify as interceptors run short
Combined drone and missile strikes hit Kyiv on August 8 and 11, left Odesa without power on August 9 and struck Zaporizhzhia on August 11. Ukraine says its Patriot systems are the only available defence against the ballistic and hypersonic missiles involved, and Zelenskyy said allies had supplied almost three times fewer interceptors this year than in 2025.
Vadym Skibitskyi, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, said Russia had shifted components toward Iskander-M ballistic missiles and reconfigured S-400 missiles for steep ballistic trajectories. He said Russia launched 198 ballistic and hypersonic missiles in July, the highest monthly figure this year, and is producing more than 100 of them a month.
Drones and strikes beyond the front
Ukraine’s increased production of short-range first-person-view drones has given it a reported 16-to-10 advantage over Russia in that category. Ukrainian defence officials said more than 40,000 Russian drones were downed in July, nearly one and a half times the number reported in May.
More context: Kyiv outlines battlefield gains as fighting continues across Ukraine.
Ukraine has also used long-range drones against Russian refineries and military logistics. During the past week, it struck four refineries, including Gazprom’s Neftekhim Salavat facility in Bashkortostan, about 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) from Ukraine. On August 12, Ukrainian forces reported strikes on several Russian naval vessels and the Sheshkharis oil terminal at Novorossiysk.
Also read: Civilian Deaths Reported Amid Ongoing Attacks in Ukraine and Russian-Occupied Areas.
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