Russia's war on Ukraine. 08.07.25
Operational situation
On the Northern Slobozhansky direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked in the areas of Glushkovo, Tetkino, and counterattacked near Kindrativka, Andriivka, Oleksiivka, Yunakivka, Yablunivka, and Sadky.
Russian forces advanced north of Yunakivka, fought for Bezsalivka, and attempted to advance south of the village, southeast of Kindrativka, and northwest of Pershe Travnya.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces attacked near Vovchansk, Zelene, Krasne Pershe, Kamyanka, Holubivka, Kindrashivka, Moskva, in the direction of Novodanylivka, Kutkivka, Ambarne, Khatnie, and tried to advance near Milove.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces attacked near Zelenyi Hai, Hrekivka, in the direction of Olkhivka, Chervonyi Stav, and Druzhelyubivka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces tried to advance east of Hlushchenkove, northwest of Ridkodub, east of Karpivka, southwest of Zelena Dolyna, and attacked near Novyi Myr, Torske, and Serebriansk Forest.
Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated half of Ridkodub, entered Katerynivka, and counterattacked from Shandryholove.
On the Siversk direction, Russian forces attacked near Hryhorivka, Serebrianka, Verkhnyokamianske, Ivano-Dariivka, and Vyiimka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Serebrianka.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces attacked near Chasiv Yar, Markove, Novomarkove, Bila Hora, and Predtechyne.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces advanced northwest of Dyliivka, attacked in the direction of Pleshchiivka, and near Toretsk, Yablunivka, Popiv Yar, Poltavka, and Rusyn Yar.
Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated Popiv Yar.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces advanced northeast of Novoekonomichne, on its southern outskirts, northwest of Koptieve, west of Myrne, southwest of Myroliubivka, and attacked in the direction of Volodymyrivka, Novopavlivka, Molodetske, and near Pokrovsk, Myrne, Razyne, Malynivka, Myroliubivka, Promin, Novoekonomichne, Lysivka, Mykolaivka, Novoukrainka, Shevchenkove, Udachne, Kotlyne, and Zvirove.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced north of Dachne.
Russian forces advanced to the southern outskirts of Tovste. The 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army is fighting for Dachne. The enemy attempted to advance northeast and west of Tovste, south and northwest of Myrne, and attacked in the direction of Novopavlivka, and near Novomykolayivka, Novoserhiyivka, Muravka, Horikhove, Novoukrainka, Oleksiivka, Piddubne, Yalta, Myrne, Fedorivka, Zirka, Zaporizhzhia, Komar, Voskresenka, Vilne Pole, Shevchenkove, Novosilka, and Novopil.
On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces attacked near Malynivka.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces advanced in Kamyanske and west of Stepove, and attacked in the direction of Mala Tokmachka, and near Shcherbaky.
General conclusion:
The Russian Armed Forces command has redeployed units of the “Rubikon” Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies to the Kostyantynivka area, which significantly complicates Ukrainian logistics in this area and plays a key role in creating a continuous kill zone 15–20 km wide between Russian and Ukrainian frontline positions.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces try to find weak points in Ukrainian defenses.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces continue to attack in small groups, maintain an advantage in manpower, and are well supplied with ammunition.
The Russian military command shifts the direction of its main offensive from Kostyantynivka to Pokrovsk due to a lack of progress for several weeks. Russian forces concentrate their efforts northeast of Pokrovsk, in the direction of Dobropillya, with the goal of enveloping Pokrovsk and creating operational conditions to envelop Kostyantynivka and the entire defensive belt.
Russian forces have not achieved significant progress west of Toretsk or in the direction of Kostyantynivka since early June 2025. A reduction in combat activity in this area and the redeployment of available resources to the Pokrovsk direction should be expected.
Units of the “Donetsk” Operational Tactical Grouping (OTG) hold positions in Dachne.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 188 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, there were 8 combat engagements. The enemy launched 6 airstrikes.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, the enemy assaulted the positions of Ukrainian units 19 times in the areas of Vovchansk, Zelene, Ambarne, Krasne Pershe, Kamyanka, and towards Kutkivka.
On the Kupyansk direction, there were 2 enemy attacks. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assault actions near Holubivka and Zahryzove.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 27 times, attempting to advance in the areas of Novyi Myr, Ridkodub, Zelena Dolyna, Torske, and in Serebriansk Forest, as well as towards Serebrianka, Olhivka, and Hryhorivka.
On the Siversk direction, the enemy attacked three times in the areas of Hryhorivka and Vyiimka.
On the Kramatorsk direction, 5 combat engagements were recorded; the enemy advanced towards Mykolaivka, Markove, Predtechyne, and Bila Hora.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy conducted 4 attacks in the areas of Toretsk and Dyliivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 68 assault and offensive actions by the aggressor were stopped in the areas of Popiv Yar, Razyne, Myroliubivka, Novoekonomichne, Lysivka, Shevchenko, Novoukrainka, Zvirove, Udachne, Novoserhiyivka, Kotlyarivka, Horikhove, and Oleksiivka.
On the Novopavlivka direction, the enemy attacked 30 times in the areas of Piddubne, Fedorivka, Voskresenka, Yalta, Shevchenko, Novosilka, Vilne Pole, and Novopil.
On the Huliaypole direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully repelled 4 enemy assaults near Malynivka.
On the Orikhiv direction, 4 enemy attacks were repelled in the Kamyanske area and towards Mala Tokmachka.
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Mediterranean Sea: 2 ships, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 4 cruise missiles.
Supporting operation:
Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted a UAV airstrike on the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai, damaging the technical facility and the refinery itself.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 810th Separate Marines Brigade operates near Gornal.
The 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operates near Katerynivka, the 33rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division advances in the direction of Kostyantynivka.
The 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Combined Arms Army advances in the direction of Huliaypole.
The 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Combined Arms Army and the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army operate near Myrne, the 43rd Separate SOF Company and the 200th Artillery Brigade of the 29th Combined Arms Army operate west of Piddubne, the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade attacks along the Voskresenka–Myrne line.
The 1455th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army operates near Novodanylivka; the 4th Military Base of the 58th Combined Arms Army operates near Kamyanske, Mala Tokmachka, and Novodanylivka.
The 61st Separate Naval Infantry Brigade and the 81st Artillery Regiment of the 70th Motorized Rifle Division of the 18th Combined Arms Army operate on the Kherson direction.
Possible operation situation developments:
On the Northern Slobozhansky direction, the enemy’s “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping is trying to reach the Mala Korchakivka – Nova Sich – Maryinka – Sadky line in the near future.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, in the near future, the command of the Russian “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will likely attempt to build on its recent tactical success and try to seize the area of Mala Shapkivka – Kindrashivka – Tyshchenivka – Velyka Shapkivka, and break through directly to the northern outskirts of Kupyansk, in the area of Moskovka. The enemy will also likely attempt an attack from Holubivka toward Radkivka, aiming to capture the latter.
On the Lyman direction, the forces of the Russian “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will likely attempt to reach the line of Karlivka – Shandryholove – Drobysheve, while simultaneously advancing near Torske in an effort to enter Lyman from the east. The command of the 25th Combined Arms Army has not achieved significant results in this direction, but it is not excluded that the “Starobilsk” Operational-Tactical Group (OTG) will be forced to withdraw from the area of Kopani – Novoyehorivka – Druzhelyubivka – Cherneshchyna, in response to the enemy’s advance along the southern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River in the direction of Bilohorivka – Serebrianka, within the operational zone of the neighboring 3rd Combined Arms Army of the “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping.
On the Siversk direction, the command of the enemy's "Yug (South)" Operational Grouping will attempt to eliminate the Siversk salient held by "Khortytsia" OSG and break through towards the Sloviansk – Kramatorsk agglomeration. The 3rd Combined Arms Army will try to break through to the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River between Yampil and Hryhorivka, and from the southeast – toward Siversk.
On the Kramatorsk direction, the command of the enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping and the 3rd Army may shift the direction of their main strike to the north of Chasiv Yar and launch an offensive on both sides of the Bakhmut–Sloviansk road, along the directions of Orikhovo-Vasylivka–Minkivka and Blahodatne–Pryvillya. This would allow them to break through to the immediate approaches to Sloviansk directly from the southeast and create a real threat of a deep envelopment of the right flank of the “Starobilsk” Operational Tactical Group (OTG). If the enemy succeeds in achieving operational surprise along these directions and advances to tactical depth, the situation in the Kolodyazi–Hryhorivka section on the Lyman direction will deteriorate significantly for the “Kharkiv” OTG.
The enemy's “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Grouping advanced to the northeast of Pokrovsk and will likely attempt to advance further in the coming months in order to achieve an envelopment of Pokrovsk and to bypass the “fortress belt” in Donetsk Oblast from the west. The enemy command may attempt to exploit the penetration in the Pokrovsk–Toretsk sector to envelop Pokrovsk from the northeast and north, or to bypass the defenses of the “Khortytsia” Operational and Strategic Grouping (OSG) in Kostyantynivka from the southwest and west. Further Russian advance north and west of the Razyne directly depends on the combat capability of the involved units (the 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps, the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army, and the 110th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army). In order to advance west of Razyne, Russian forces would need to force the Kazennyi Torets River at several locations, which could present an obstacle to their advance. The enemy would also have to seize villages along the Pokrovsk–Oleksandrivka line in order to fully sever Ukrainian logistics.
Envelopment of Pokrovsk from the northeast would require the enemy to advance significantly toward Rodynske, seize it, and establish a strong defensive area there to enable attacks on Pokrovsk or to advance toward Novooleksandrivka in order to cut the M30 highway (Pokrovsk–Pavlohrad) and compel the “Khortytsia” OSG to withdraw from Pokrovsk under threat of encirclement. Other possible courses of action for the enemy could include an advance north of Udachne or Kotlyne to sever the M30 highway, if they manage to break through Ukrainian defenses, or an attempt to penetrate between Dobropillya and Kostyantynivka in order to bypass the “fortress belt” from the west.
The operational situation on the Novopavlivka direction is significantly more dangerous than on the Sumy direction and threatens potential negative consequences for Ukrainian Defense Forces both operationally and strategically. If the Defense Forces’ command fails to stabilize the situation in this direction in the near future, Ukraine’s military and political leadership should prepare for the possible opening of the Pavlohrad operational direction and the emergence of operational complications for the “Tavriya” OSG on the Zaporizhzhia direction. At the same time, a possible enemy offensive operation to seize the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk agglomeration should also be taken into account.
Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 08.07.25
Personnel - almost 1,028 610 (+1,070);
Tanks – 10,995 (0);
Armored combat vehicles ‒ 22,967 (+4);
Artillery systems – 30,034 (+41);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,434 (+2);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,192 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 54,456 (+86);
Aircraft - 421 (0);
Helicopters – 340 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 44,230 (+172);
Intercepted cruise and other missiles – 3,439 (0);
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
On the night of July 8, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with four S-300/400 anti-aircraft guided missiles and 54 Shahed-type attack drones and various types of decoy drones. As of 8:00 AM, air defense forces destroyed 34 enemy drones: 26 were shot down, and another 8 were lost to detection or suppressed by electronic warfare systems. Drone strikes were recorded in five locations.
As a result of the night shelling of the Mykolaiv suburbs by Russian forces, a 51-year-old man was wounded and hospitalized. The attack caused a fire. According to the Air Force, at approximately 2:30 AM, a group of attack drones was detected moving from the Black Sea towards Mykolaiv Oblast.
Russian occupiers continue to attack the civilian population of Kherson with drones – in the morning alone, 1 person was killed and 9 more were wounded. In the evening, the occupiers dropped explosives from a drone on a 67-year-old man. The victim died on the spot from his injuries.
In the Huliaypole community of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian military personnel attacked a civilian car with a drone, wounding three people.
During the attack on July 7, Russians damaged 17 monuments in Kharkiv.
As of May–June 2025, almost half of Ukrainians — 47% — believe that in ten years Ukraine will be a ruined country with a mass exodus of population, rather than a prosperous state within the European Union. According to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the level of pessimism has significantly increased compared to the end of 2024, when only 28% of respondents shared this opinion. For comparison, in October 2022, 88% of those surveyed believed in Ukraine's European future, and only 5% believed in its destruction. However, as of June, the number of those who believe in Ukraine's prosperity in 10 years still remains quite high – 43%.
This academic year, 44,000 children from temporarily occupied territories are studying remotely in Ukrainian schools — 12,000 fewer than last year. The reasons are danger to life, natural attrition (graduation of 9th and 11th grades, absence of first grades), as well as a decrease in the number of those willing to enter Ukrainian universities due to the impossibility of returning home and financial difficulties of leaving. This was reported by educational ombudswoman Nadiia Leshchyk.