Russian forces conducted a series of drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of July 31 to August 1.
Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 72 Shahed-type drones and decoy drones from the directions of Kursk City; Millerovo, Rostov Oblast; and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai.[137] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces downed or suppressed 44 drones and that 28 Russian drones struck nine locations. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces primarily targeted Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kyiv oblasts. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes killed three people, injured 12, and damaged civilian infrastructure in Kyiv City and Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts.[138]
The death toll from the Russian strikes against Kyiv City on the night of July 30 to 31 continues to rise. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the strikes killed at least 31 people, including five children (the youngest of whom was 2 years old), and injured at least 159.[139]
Kharkiv City Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that the Russian forces conducted 103 strikes against Kharkiv City in July 2025, mostly with Shahed-type drones.[140] Terekhov stated that Russian forces continued to use tactics of launching large strike packages from low altitudes to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Terekhov stated that Russian forces first launch glide bombs and then Shahed-type drones against the same targets, and that Russian forces conduct “double tap” strikes against emergency workers. Terekhov stated that Russian strikes in July 2025 injured 164 people and killed one and damaged eight of Kharkiv City’s nine raions. Terekhov stated that Russia conducted strikes against Kharkiv Oblast on 16 days during July 2025 and against Kharkiv City on 10 days of the month.
Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces downed or suppressed 44 drones and that 28 Russian drones struck nine locations.
On the night of August 1 (from 21:30 on July 31), the enemy attacked with 72 strike UAVs of the Shahed type and various types of drone simulators from the directions of: Millerovo, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Russia.The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and unmanned systems, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
According to preliminary data, as of 09:00, air defense shot down/suppressed 44 enemy UAVs in the north, south, east, and center of the country.28 UAVs were recorded hitting 9 locations. Frontline territories of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk regions, and Kyiv region were attacked.
Russia continues to field long-range drone innovations to facilitate its ongoing long-range strike campaign and impose greater civilian casualties on Ukraine. Business Insider reported on August 1 that Ukrainian mobile fire groups and domestically produced interceptor drones may be unable to effectively counter Russia’s new high-speed Geran-3 drone (the Russian analogue of the Iranian Shahed-238).[56] Ukrainian columnist Vadym Kushnikov reported on July 31 that the Geran-3 is equipped with a high-power jet engine that enables the drone to reach speeds of up to 800 kilometers per hour and to function like a cruise missile in its ability to evade air defense systems.[57] The Ukrainian Air Force reported on July 30 that Russian forces launched eight jet-powered drones, possibly referring to Geran-3 drones, on the night of July 29 to 30, marking one of the first official Ukrainian reports noting Russia’s use of jet-powered drones.[58] The Ukrainian Air Force did not specify whether Ukrainian forces downed any of the eight jet-powered drones, however. ISW previously assessed that Russian forces likely used a Geran-3 drone variant to strike Kyiv City on June 11 and that Russia may have first incorporated the Geran-3 drones into strike packages on January 8.[59] Russia will likely increasingly rely on modified long-range drones, such as the Geran-3 drone, to continue innovating its long-range strike tactics designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defense systems and strike densely populated cities in Ukraine’s rear as part of efforts to inflict greater civilian casualties.
Russia’s latest drone innovations underscore the critical importance of timely and reliable Western military assistance to Ukraine. Russian drone adaptations are attempting to reduce the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defense tactics and innovations, including the use of mobile fire groups and interceptor drones. Western-supplied air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets, which Ukraine has largely been using to intercept Russian long-range missile and drone strikes, will become even more important in the face of these Russian drone adaptations. [60] Kushnikov reported that Russia is unable currently to mass produce the Geran-3 drones, given Russia’s reliance on Iran and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for turbojet engine supplies.[61] Iran helped Russia scale its domestic production of the Iranian-supplied Shahed drones, and the PRC has been increasingly supplying components for Russia’s Geran-type drones, suggesting that Russia will be able to procure the needed Iranian and PRC engines to scale up its production of the Geran-3 in the future and pose a greater threat to Ukraine.[62]
The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that it will sell Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to Ukraine. The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on July 31 that it awarded a contract worth $3.5billion to Raytheon to produce AMRAAM missiles, AMRAAM Telemetry Systems, initial and field spares, and other production engineering support activities.[63] The DoD announced that the contract includes military sales to Ukraine and other US partners.
US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two US nuclear submarines closer to Russia presumably in response to Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev’s July 31 nuclear threats against the United States.
The Kremlin continued its nuclear threats against the United States before the ordered deployment of US nuclear submarines on August 1 – demonstrating that Medvedev’s threats are part of a wider Kremlin nuclear saber-rattling campaign.
Putin reiterated on August 1 the same demands that he first laid out in June 2024 – further demonstrating Russia’s uncompromising position and disinterest in negotiating to end its war against Ukraine.
Putin attempted to frame peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine as making progress while blaming Ukraine for slowing the speed of negotiations.
Putin’s and Lukashenko’s August 1 statements underscore Putin’s continued commitment to his theory of victory, which assumes that Russia can outlast Western support for Ukraine and will be able to seize the entirety of Ukraine through slow and costly advances.
Putin and Lukashenko highlighted recent Russian advances in Donetsk Oblast and articulated Russia’s desire to seize Ukraine’s fortress belt, which ISW continues to assess as a multi-year effort.
Putin and Lukashenko projected military strength and economic stability as part of Putin’s ongoing effort to convince Trump that sanctions and military support to Ukraine will not alter the outcome of the war in Ukraine and that Trump should abandon his efforts to resolve the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be transforming Russia into a Soviet-style police state, likely in preparation for expected anti-war sentiment in the Russian population as the Kremlin prolongs the war in Ukraine and prepares for a future war with NATO.
Russia continues to field long-range drone innovations to facilitate its ongoing long-range strike campaign and impose greater civilian casualties on Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast and near Borova and Lyman. Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Siversk, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.
