Russia reports 42,860 casualties in July as Ukraine claims territorial gains
The Russian defense ministry said its forces suffered 42,860 killed or wounded in July, while Ukraine reported recapturing dozens of settlements on its southern front.
Russia's defense ministry announced that its armed forces incurred 42,860 casualties, including killed and wounded personnel, in July, the highest monthly total since January 2025 and the fourth highest since the conflict began in 2022. The ministry did not provide a breakdown of fatalities versus injuries.
Ukraine's defense ministry said its troops reclaimed roughly 300 square miles along the southern front, retaking 26 settlements and pushing Russian positions back more than seven miles near the junction of the Dnipro, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
In a series of strikes, Ukrainian forces reported hitting a military airbase, an oil depot and a state-run aerospace facility deep inside Russian territory. Long-range missiles were said to have struck the Savasleyka airbase in western Russia and the Progress Rocket Space Center in Samara, while an oil facility in Ust-Luga was also reported damaged.
"The progress center, which was involved, among other things, in producing electronics, was hit. Flamingo missiles were used — a good achievement," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky added that the attacks were intended to reduce Russia's war capability and emphasized the need for peace.
Ukraine's military reported using guided bombs, cruise missiles and drones in the operations, while the Russian defense ministry said it responded with Shahed drones, resulting in civilian casualties in the city of Dnipro.