The summit between President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska concluded without a resolution concerning the ceasefire in Ukraine. Leading up to this meeting, Russia intensified its operations in the Donetsk region. These actions raised speculation about Moscow’s intentions within the context of the ongoing peace negotiations. The Russian military focused on taking Pokrovsk, a key city and significant railway hub in eastern Donetsk, before the summit took place. Multiple attempts were made to overcome Russian defenses. Reports indicated that Pokrovsk was partially surrounded as the meeting was being arranged. There were also captures of villages in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian President Zelensky rejected Putin’s demands that Ukraine surrender control of the remaining Donetsk territory. Zelensky downplayed the advances made by the Russian forces and emphasized the resistance of his own forces against the occupation.
Before the Alaska meeting, Zelensky stated that the Russian military was incurring considerable losses in its attempts to gain a more favorable political position. He emphasized that Ukraine was keeping its allies informed about the real situation.
In 2022, Russia illegally annexed Donetsk along with Luhansk, forming the eastern Donbas region, along with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
A ballistic missile attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine resulted in deaths and injuries. Dnipro, a crucial logistics center for the Ukrainian military, is located near the war zone and is regularly targeted by Russian forces.
Additionally, the Ukrainian military reported an overnight attack on the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region. The refinery is one of the largest in the Rosneft network. A drone attack sparked a fire that was quickly extinguished.
Ukraine also reported attacking the Caspian port of Olya in Russia’s Astrakhan region. The target was a ship transporting drone parts and ammunition from Iran to Russia.
The Ukrainian military has not specified whether drones were used in these recent long-range attacks. The objective is to lessen Russia’s capacity to continue the full-scale war that began in February 2022. Between August 7 and August 13, approximately 535 Russian drones and missiles were launched at Ukraine. Ukraine managed to intercept around two-thirds of these attacks, and Moscow launched eight missiles into Ukraine, with five penetrating its defenses.