ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 8, 2026

War in Ukraine - Latest update, key takeaways and map from the Institute for the Study of War on August 8, 2026

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

  • Russia is reportedly planning to launch a large-scale strike campaign against energy infrastructure in Kyiv City over the coming weeks.
  • Russia began its Fall 2025 and Winter 2025-2026 strike campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in early September 2025, and Russia may aim to start its 2026-2027 strike campaign in August in order to take advantage of Ukraine’s ongoing shortages of ballistic missile interceptors.
  • Russian strikes against Kyiv City’s energy infrastructure in the coming weeks will disrupt Ukrainian efforts to repair and strengthen the energy facilities that Russia damaged in Winter of 2025-2026.
  • It is unclear how many energy facilities Ukraine has been able to repair since last winter and therefore how many energy targets are available for Russia to strike in 2026.
  • Unspecified drones conducted multiple overflights over a Patriot air defense system repair base in Germany on August 7.
  • A Ukrainian Maya decoy drone reportedly exploded in Bulgaria on the morning of August 8.
  • Ukrainian forces recently advanced northeast of Kharkiv City.
  • Russia launched six missiles and 151 drones against Ukraine overnight.

See the original here.