Ukraine says it recaptured 745 sq km in Dnipropetrovsk as Russia steps up missile strikes

Ukraine has declared the successful completion of its military operation in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, recapturing 745 square kilometers of territory this year. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on August 13 that the operation was carried out "exactly as planned" and reported that nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the process.

The counteroffensive has stripped Russia of almost all territory it had gained in Dnipropetrovsk since entering the area in June 2025, pushing Russian forces back toward the borders of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

However, this good news was overshadowed by Russia's intense missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, which have become increasingly vulnerable to attack after Patriot systems ran out of interceptor missiles. Combined drone and ballistic or hypersonic missile attacks targeted Kyiv on August 8 and 11, caused blackouts in Odesa on August 9, and struck Zaporizhzhia on August 11, killing at least 9 people across the attacks.

Ukraine advances on the ground

President Zelensky said the Dnipropetrovsk operation liberated 26 settlements. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank that assesses territorial control using geolocated open-source information, conservatively estimates that Ukraine has recaptured at least 627 square kilometers in the region.

"This operation once again proves that the Ukrainian military is capable not only of defending firmly but also of launching offensives, seizing the initiative, and liberating Ukrainian land," said former Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who planned the operation.

ISW assesses that across the entire front, Russia has suffered a net loss of 233 square kilometers of territory this year. This has occurred despite Russia's coordinated attacks in the eastern part of Donetsk Oblast, where President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly prioritized gaining control.

Russia's attacks in June and July were launched from Pokrovsk toward Dobropillia, and from Chasiv Yar toward Kostiantynivka. In both areas, Russia gained territory and penetrated vast surrounding regions, but at a heavy cost. Russia reported 39,000 casualties in June and nearly 43,000 in July—the highest losses since January 2025.

One key to Ukraine's success on the battlefield has been the increased production of short-range first-person-view (FPV) drones, which now have a ratio of 16 to Russia's 10. These drones caused more than 70% of Russian casualties in June and July. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it shot down more than 40,000 Russian drones in July, nearly 1.5 times the number in May.

Russia shifts to ballistic missiles

Russia has maintained control of the skies throughout the war in Ukraine, using glide bombs, long-range drones, and missiles. Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Vadym Skibitskyi said Russia is now exploiting this advantage by increasing its use of ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

Ukraine can only intercept these missiles with Patriot systems, but these have now run out of interceptor missiles. According to President Zelensky, Ukraine has received nearly three times fewer missiles from allies this year than in 2025. Skibitskyi said Russia has stopped producing the types of missiles that Ukraine used to successfully shoot down and has shifted components to produce more Iskander-M ballistic missiles and S-400 hypersonic missiles.

"In April there were 61 ballistic missiles, in May 107, in June 134. If we talk about ballistic and hypersonic missiles... the enemy launched 198 in July. This is the highest number of the year," Skibitskyi said. Russia now produces more than 100 ballistic and hypersonic missiles per month and may have used reserves to launch 56 at Ukraine in the first week of August alone. However, Russia plans to build up stockpiles for a large-scale winter campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Last winter, Russia caused up to $70 billion in damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure and nearly succeeded in plunging Kyiv into darkness. Ukraine's Strategic Communications Center warned that Russia may be planning a major attack on Kyiv before Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24.

Some Ukrainian sources say North Korea is deploying forces with up to 120 ballistic missiles to the Voronezh region in western Russia, bordering Ukraine, where barracks are being built for them. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov suggested that Ukraine's best response to Russian ballistic missiles is to accelerate production of its own successfully tested ballistic missiles and engage in a "missile-versus-missile war."

Ukraine's long reach

Ukraine has destroyed nearly a third of Russia's oil refining capacity this year using long-range drones. In the past week, it attacked four oil refineries, including Gazprom's Neftekhim Salavat refinery in the Republic of Bashkortostan, 1,300 kilometers from Ukraine.

Ukraine has also conducted medium-range strikes on Russian military logistics and oil tankers, disrupting weapons and fuel supplies to the front lines. In the past week, Ukraine sank or disabled 218 ships and destroyed 6 air defense systems.

The biggest blow was the attack on Russia's main Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on August 12, hitting two frigates, a missile ship, a landing ship, and a patrol boat. Ukraine also struck Russia's Sheshkharis oil export terminal as part of a campaign to cut Russia's fossil fuel export revenues. President Zelensky called the operation "unique" because it was the first time Ukraine coordinated 14 types of domestic drones simultaneously in the air and at sea.