The Alaska meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump concluded without a breakthrough regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine. Prior to this meeting, Russia had made significant advances in the Donetsk region, raising questions about its strategic goals during the ongoing peace talks. Moscow’s forces intensified their efforts to capture Pokrovsk, a crucial city and railway junction in eastern Donetsk. This offensive followed several attempts to breach Russian defenses. As preparations for the Putin-Trump meeting unfolded, reports indicated that Pokrovsk was partially encircled. Recent reports also noted the capture of villages within the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian President Zelensky rebuffed Putin’s demands that Ukraine cede control of the remaining portion of Donetsk. He maintained that his forces were resisting and applying pressure to the occupying forces.
Zelensky stated that the Russian military had incurred significant losses while striving for a more advantageous political position ahead of the Alaska meeting. He noted Ukraine was keeping its allies informed of the true conditions on the ground.
Russia annexed Donetsk, along with Luhansk, in 2022, along with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, forming the Donbas region.
A ballistic missile attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine resulted in casualties. Dnipro, a significant logistics hub for the Ukrainian military, has been consistently targeted by Russian forces.
An overnight attack on the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, a key part of Rosneft’s network, was also reported by the Ukrainian military. A drone attack caused a fire that was promptly put out.
The Ukrainian military also reported an attack on the Caspian port of Olya, targeting a vessel carrying drone parts and ammunition from Iran to Russia.
While the Ukrainian military has not confirmed the use of drones in its recent attacks, the aim is to weaken Russia’s ability to sustain the full-scale war initiated in February 2022. During the week of August 7-13, about 535 Russian drones and missiles were launched at Ukraine. Ukraine intercepted a substantial portion of these attacks, though five Russian missiles bypassed its defenses.