Key Takeaways from the ISW:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly had a phone call on August 6 with the commander of a Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) division, indicating that Russian forces are prioritizing advances in the Pokrovsk and Dobropillya directions with the intent of encircling Ukraine’s Fortress Belt from the southwest.
- The Russian timelines for the completion of this wide envelopment are extremely unrealistic, however.
- Putin’s call with the 76th Guards VDV Division commander is likely also a response to emerging accusations that he is out of touch with the battlefield reality in Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s intermediate-range strike campaign against the Russian rear, along with Ukrainian tactical drone overmatch on the frontline, are slowing down Russian operational tempo across the frontline.
- An improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in central Moscow City on August 1 reportedly killed Russian Major General Valery Plokhotnyuk.
- The US Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, which imposes 100% tariffs on US imports from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, among other provisions, on August 7.
- Russian forces recently advanced in the Novopavlivka and Oleksandrivka directions.
- Russia launched 147 drones against Ukraine overnight.
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