Russian attacks killed at least eight people and injured 66 across Ukraine over the past day, with Zaporizhzhia the worst affected region, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russia launched 181 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
What are the reported losses?
Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces sustained more than 42,000 casualties during July, the highest monthly figure it has recorded in 2026. It put the average across the year at around 34,000 a month.
The same source put cumulative Russian losses since the full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022 at 1,450,510, including 1,390 over the previous day. These figures are issued by one party to the conflict and cannot be independently verified. Moscow does not publish comparable data.
| Reported figure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Killed in Ukraine, past day | At least 8 |
| Injured in Ukraine, past day | 66 |
| Russian drones launched overnight | 181 |
| Russian losses in July (Ukrainian claim) | 42,000+ |
What is the state of the war in Ukraine in August 2026?
As of early August 2026, Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange long-range strikes in the fifth year of the full-scale war, which began on 24 February 2022. Ukrainian officials reported at least eight people killed and 66 injured across the country over a single day in early August, with Zaporizhzhia Oblast the worst affected, following an overnight launch of 181 Russian drones. Ukraine’s General Staff stated that Russian forces sustained more than 42,000 casualties in July, its highest recorded monthly figure for 2026, though such figures are issued by one side and cannot be independently verified. Russia occupies roughly 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory. United States-mediated talks between the two governments have not produced a ceasefire, with the sides divided over territorial concessions and security guarantees.
Where do negotiations stand?
United States-mediated talks have yet to produce a ceasefire, with the two sides divided over territorial concessions and security guarantees for Ukraine. Russia occupies about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Rustem Umerov would continue coordinating the Drone Deal initiative while remaining involved in the peace process.
How has the campaign changed?
Both sides have shifted weight towards long-range strikes. Ukrainian drone attacks have targeted Russian refining capacity and Black Sea port terminals, including repeated strikes on the oil facility at Tuapse that disrupted exports.
Russia has concentrated on Ukraine’s energy system, with attacks intensifying since 2024. Between December 2025 and February 2026 Ukraine absorbed fifteen large-scale attacks on energy facilities, and in January 2026 residents of Kyiv spent on average half of each day without power.
What happened over the weekend?
The current exchange follows a heavy round of strikes on 2 August, when officials on both sides reported at least 14 people killed. Ukrainian forces struck an air base at Engels and an oil refinery in Saratov Oblast, and Russia said it destroyed 635 drones.
Ukrainian air defences have intercepted the large majority of incoming drones on most nights, but ballistic missiles remain harder to stop and account for a disproportionate share of casualties.
Fighting on the ground remains concentrated in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast, where neither side has reported significant movement in recent weeks.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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