ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 2, 2025

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

  • Ukraine conducted a series of long-range drone strikes against energy infrastructure in Russia on the night of August 1 to 2.
  • Ukraine also conducted a series of long-range drone strikes against Russia’s defense industrial base (DIB), drone launch sites, and air defense systems on the night of August 1 to 2.
  • The Kremlin has yet to employ a coordinated response to US President Donald Trump’s August 1 announcement that he ordered the deployment of two US nuclear submarines closer to Russia.
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov parroted many of the same talking points that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made during a press event on August 1 that blamed Ukraine for the lack of progress in negotiations and signaled Russia’s unyielding commitment to its longstanding demands.
  • Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Novopavlivka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast, and Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk.

Authors: Christina Harward, Daria Novikov, Olivia Gibson, Jessica Sobieski, Anna Harvey, and Karolina Hird.

See the original here.