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### Russian Gains in Donetsk and Kharkiv
Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced on July 31 that its paratroopers had overrun Chasiv Yar, a key high ground west of Bakhmut, following a months-long siege that began in March 2024. The city, situated along a canal that serves as a natural defensive barrier, is seen as a critical vantage point for Russian forces eyeing the heavily fortified Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka—collectively known as the “fortress belt.” Russian military expert Vitaly Kiselyov described Chasiv Yar’s capture as pivotal, enabling Russian forces to “outflank from the south and north” and advance on flat terrain toward these strongholds.
On Saturday, Russia claimed to have seized Aleksandro-Kalinovo, tightening the encirclement of Kostiantynivka. However, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) downplayed the operational significance of Chasiv Yar’s fall, noting that Russian forces have held parts of the city since January 2025 and have yet to threaten Ukrainian logistics routes significantly.
Further south, Russian forces are besieging Pokrovsk, impairing Ukrainian supply lines, according to Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, acknowledged intense fighting in Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Novopavlivka, with Russian sabotage groups attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian defenses.
In the north, Russian troops reportedly entered Kupiansk, a city in Kharkiv with a pre-war population of 26,000, engaging in street battles using small, mobile strike groups. Russia’s advances into Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, where it captured the village of Sichneve (Yanvarskoye) and earlier Dachnoye and Malynivka, are part of Moscow’s stated goal of creating a “buffer zone” to protect annexed regions. Ukraine dismisses this as a pretext for further occupation.
### Deadly Strikes on Kyiv
On July 31, Russia launched a barrage of jet-powered Shahed drones and eight Iskander-K cruise missiles, killing 31 people in Kyiv. The attack, described by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “vile” and “brutal,” targeted civilian infrastructure, including an apartment building. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko noted the difficulty of intercepting the faster jet-powered drones, a new escalation in Russia’s aerial campaign.
### Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
In response, Ukraine intensified its long-range strikes on Russian infrastructure. On July 31, Russia reported downing 32 Ukrainian drones in its western border regions, with rail services disrupted in Volgograd. Ukrainian attacks targeted a radio factory in Penza producing military command systems, an encryptor manufacturer, and a Shahed drone storage site at Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield. Major oil facilities, including the Ryazan Oil Refinery, Novokuybyshevsk Refinery, and an oil depot in Sochi, were hit, causing fires. Ukrainian media also reported damage to a key gas pipeline supplying Russian military industries.
### Diplomatic Tensions
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, claimed Ukraine was unready for peace talks, citing the failure of three rounds of negotiations. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Putin, allowing US weapons, including AMRAAM missiles, to flow to Ukraine. Trump also imposed a 25% tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil, threatening further increases, and warned of deploying nuclear submarines in response to provocative statements from Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev.
As the conflict intensifies, Ukraine faces mounting challenges on multiple fronts, with Russia’s advances threatening key defensive lines and civilian lives. The war shows no signs of abating, with both sides escalating military and economic pressure.
