A Month of Battles and Breakthroughs: Syrskyi Reveals Ukraine’s Military Plans for August

July marked one of the most intense phases of the war, as Ukraine’s Armed Forces simultaneously repelled large-scale Russian assaults in the east, pushed forward in the north, and carried out precise strikes on enemy rear positions. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi convened a key meeting to assess the past month’s combat performance and define strategic priorities for the weeks ahead.

He wrote about this on Facebook.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, summarized the results of the Ukrainian military’s operations in July, a month he described as extremely intense in terms of combat activity.

According to Syrskyi, in the eastern regions, Russian forces attempted to advance along nearly the entire frontline, employing a “death by a thousand cuts” tactic — a strategy based on continuous attacks by small assault groups aimed at gradually exhausting Ukrainian defenses. The most active combat zones were near Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Novopavlivka.

Despite relentless pressure, Ukrainian units held their ground with resilience, inflicting substantial losses on the enemy. Simultaneously, Ukraine’s Armed Forces achieved tactical advances in the north, particularly in the Pivnichno-Slobozhansky direction, liberating territory in the Sumy region and continuing operations near Russia’s Kursk region.

Amid intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine’s rear infrastructure, Ukrainian defenders have significantly strengthened their air defense. In response to shelling of civilian areas and the growing number of casualties, the use of drones to intercept aerial threats has expanded alongside broader improvements in air defense capabilities.

One of the most notable developments was the growing effectiveness of Ukraine’s Deep Strike strategy — the use of long-range precision weapons. In July, Ukrainian forces successfully targeted dozens of Russian military-industrial facilities, including Shahed drone storage sites, military airfields, training grounds, and defense-related chemical, electromechanical, and oil processing plants.

These strikes have had a measurable impact on Russia’s ability to manufacture and sustain military operations. Their effectiveness was further enhanced by improvements in Ukraine’s UAV control systems, which have increased the precision of strikes on enemy personnel and provided more effective battlefield support for infantry units.

Russian losses in July exceeded 33,200 personnel, approximately 800 more than in June. However, the Kremlin continues to accelerate its mobilization efforts, reportedly replenishing its forces by around 9,000 troops per month and aiming to form 10 new divisions by the end of the year — two of which have already been established.

In response, Ukraine continues its mobilization measures, enhancing combat training, scaling up the development of unmanned systems, and implementing corps-level reforms to improve operational command and control. Most of the new army corps have already taken on designated responsibilities and completed their combat configurations.

During the meeting, the Commander-in-Chief also emphasized several priority areas of focus:

• Personnel training

• Logistics and maintenance of military equipment

• Construction of defensive fortifications

• Discipline and law enforcement within the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

• Safety of personnel at training centers and military ranges

“Another difficult month lies ahead. The enemy will increase the pressure. But our shared task is to prevent them from achieving their objectives — and we will accomplish that,” the Commander-in-Chief concluded.

He thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their resilience, professionalism, and combat effectiveness, stressing that the Armed Forces have a clear understanding of the battlefield situation and a firm grasp of what must be done next.

By the way, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have eliminated more than 267,000 Russian invaders since the beginning of 2025.

It was previously reported that in the Sumy region, Ukrainian intelligence officers from the “Timur Special Unit” of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine conducted a lightning operation, disrupting a large-scale offensive by Russian troops. Thanks to the coordinated actions of the military, the enemy lost more than eight companies of manpower, and the Russian advance was completely stopped.

We would like to remind you that Russian forces continue their gradual advance in the eastern direction. The village of Popiv Yar, located in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk region, has come under the control of the occupiers.

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