NYT: Successes Keep Coming For Ukraine
- 16.08.2026, 11:11
July turned out to be one of Putin's worst months.
July was one of the bloodiest months for Russia since the start of the war. Russian troops suffered staggering losses on the battlefield, while Kyiv made its largest territorial gains in more than a year, according to The New York Times.
Last month, Russia lost 42,860 personnel on the battlefield, including those killed and wounded. This is the highest figure since January 2025 and the fourth bloodiest month since the war began in 2022.
According to experts, the total number of Russian casualties is approaching 1.5 million, and recruiting new soldiers is becoming an increasingly serious problem for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The publication emphasizes that, given the shortage of soldiers, he may soon be forced to begin peace negotiations.
“In recent months, Putin has become so desperate that he has had to lure his compatriots into the war with false promises of ‘peaceful service’—or recruit Africans using similar deceptive schemes,” the NYT writes.
One Success After Another for Ukraine
Ukraine, meanwhile, reports the liberation of approximately 780 square kilometers on the southern front, having recaptured 26 settlements along the front line and brought them back under Ukraine’s full control.
Kyiv has pushed Russian forces back more than 11 kilometers on the southern front, near the junction of the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, and these small-scale attacks are gradually eroding Russian control.
Record-Breaking “Flamingo” Strike
Overnight, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched “Flamingo” missiles deep into Russia, striking the Savasleika airbase in western Russia, 700 kilometers from the border. The base is home to MiG-31 fighters, which carry “Kinzhal” missiles. At the same time, it is not yet known how many aircraft were damaged as a result of the attack.
"Flamingo" also struck the "Progress" rocket and space center in Samara, one of the key facilities of the state aerospace corporation "Roscosmos."
Kyiv also damaged an oil refinery in Ust-Luga, which caught fire 800 kilometers from the border.
“At a distance of about 800 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, this was Kyiv’s deepest strike into Russia during the entire war,” the NYT emphasizes.