08/2/2026
The pace of advance of the occupiers in Ukraine remains slow. In July, the occupiers
suffered their highest level of casualties in a year, while failing to achieve significant progress.
This is according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). According to ISW, in July 2026, Russian troops were able to advance 37.85 square kilometers. This is an average of about 1.22 square kilometers per day.
At the same time, the total area that Russian troops advanced or penetrated in July was about 121.56 square kilometers. However, even this figure is significantly inferior to the pace of the Russian offensive in July 2025, when Russian troops captured 455.74 square kilometers.
ISW analysts note that Russia’s monthly pace of advance in 2026 has not changed significantly since February, despite the start of the spring-summer offensive campaign, which started in mid-March.
In July, the rebels attempted to conduct more active infiltration operations in the Kostyantynivka area of Donetsk Oblast. However, this did not lead to the capture of the city or the achievement of other operationally important goals.
ISW notes that the Russian army’s advance is being held back by Ukrainian counterattacks, medium-range strikes, and the superiority of Ukrainian drones on the battlefield. Russian troops have carried out several mechanized attacks on individual sections of the front, but they have not yielded significant results.
Analysts say the Kremlin has spent years retooling Russian forces for positional warfare rather than large-scale maneuver operations. At the same time, Ukrainian adaptation on the battlefield has significantly slowed the pace of Russia’s advance this year.
In July, the Russian army suffered its highest losses in all of 2026. The General Staff of Ukraine reported on August 1 that Russian military losses for the month amounted to 42,860 people. This is a new monthly record since the start of the full-scale war.
According to the General Staff, Russian losses have been gradually increasing since February 2026. Then they amounted to 26,090 people, and in July they reached a record figure.
According to ISW calculations based on data from the General Staff of Ukraine, in July 2026, Russian forces suffered about 353 casualties per square kilometer of captured or infiltrated territory. If we consider only the territories actually captured, this figure was about 1,132 casualties per square kilometer.
At the same time, the Kremlin is trying to hide the slow pace of advance with claims of significant successes by the Russian army. Analysts note that even the statements of the Russian side do not indicate a rapid advance of the Russian army. According to ISW, the current pace is not enough for Russia to quickly destroy Ukrainian defense lines and seize the territories it claims by the end of 2026.
As OBOZ.UA reported, in July this year, the Russian army’s losses in manpower reached 42,860 people. This is the highest monthly figure since the beginning of the year. In total, in the first seven months of 2026, the Russian army lost 238,650 military personnel.
Now we know the reason why putler needs to mobilise 500,000 more orcs.
Yeah, like that’s going to help. It’ll only feed more stray dogs and cats and millions of maggots.