Largest Expansion of Russian Territory in a Single Day During the Year

Greatest Expansion of Russian Territory in Daily Basis within a Year

In the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russian forces have made slow but steady territorial gains in the eastern front over recent months. However, there is no verified evidence of new or substantial territorial gains by Russian forces in Ukraine specifically in the past 24 hours.

According to reports, Russian forces have expanded their control by approximately 241 square miles from mid-July to mid-August 2025, a 7% increase compared to the previous month-long period. This figure, however, covers a month-long span, not the past 24 hours.

Russian forces continue to engage in difficult, incremental campaigns in eastern Ukraine, such as around Donetsk Oblast. Advances are typically measured in a few miles over many months. For instance, it took Russian forces 14 months to seize the town of Toretsk by August 1, 2025, and 26 months to advance from Bakhmut to Chasiv Yar with incomplete control of the latter.

Reports from August 19 noted Russian forces advanced near Chasiv Yar and Toretsk, but there is no mention of new territorial gains within the past day. Similarly, a recent report on August 21 does not indicate specific territory newly captured in the last 24 hours, instead highlighting continued strikes and broader operational developments.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian intelligence service SBU reportedly attacked a Russian drone base in the Russian region of Tatarstan. The conflict in Ukraine continues unabated, with three deaths reported in the southern region of Kherson.

On a diplomatic front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Berlin to participate in planned video conferences with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, US President Donald Trump, and other European leaders. Three days before the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, President Zelensky warned of new Russian offensives.

Political scientist Klemens Fischer sees the world as having entered a "Cold War" situation due to Putin and Trump meeting in Alaska to negotiate about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is calling for security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In other news, Hope for an end to the war is driving up the prices of Ukrainian government bonds. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that 60,000 Russian soldiers were killed in July, while US President Donald Trump estimated the number at around 20,000 a few days earlier. After a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns against a unjust peace with Russia.

CDU politician Steffen Bilger believes that Ukrainian benefit recipients should accept jobs that don't match their profession. He criticized the decision by the traffic light coalition to put Ukrainian refugees directly on benefits. A team of Ukrainian special forces (SOF) has destroyed a radar station in the Russian-occupied Crimea.

In a separate development, the much-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in the US state of Alaska will take place in the city of Anchorage. The Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to strengthen their cooperation in a phone call.

Lastly, a large Russian oil pump station in the Bryansk region was targeted by Ukrainian kamikaze drones early in the morning, resulting in a fire. Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, the foreign ministers of the US and Russia respectively, held a phone call ahead of the planned summit between Trump and Putin. Russian military forces launched combat drones and rockets against targets in the Ukrainian hinterland overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed the government to ease the exit from the war-torn country for young conscript men.