Frontline update: combat clashes rise to 72

Source: Ukraine’s General Staff 

As of 4:00 PM local time on Friday, August 2, the Ukrainian General Staff reports a significant escalation in combat across the front lines, with a total of 72 clashes reported. The most intense fighting is now centered around the Pokrovsk region.

The border areas of Chernihiv and Sumy regions are under heavy fire, with attacks targeting the towns of Bila Berizka, Progres, Seredyna-Buda, Stari Vyrky, Katerynivka, Obody, and Bleshny.

In the Kharkiv region, five clashes have occurred since the start of the day. Ukrainian forces have successfully repelled four attacks near Hlyboke, Tykhe, and Vovchansk. Fighting in the area continues.

On the Kupiansk front, Russian troops have made two attempts to storm Ukrainian positions near Stelmakhivka, both of which have been repelled by Ukrainian defenders.

In the Lyman sector, Russian forces have launched attacks in the areas of Makiyivka, Nevske, and Torsk. Seven clashes have been reported in this sector since the beginning of the day.

The Kramatorsk region has seen five attempts by Russian troops to push Ukrainian forces from their positions. Four assaults near Klishchiivka and Ivanivske were repelled, with one ongoing near Chasiv Yar.

The Toretsk direction has experienced ten assaults supported by storm and bomber aircraft. Currently, four clashes are ongoing near Toretsk, Zolote, and New York. Throughout the day, Russian forces have dropped 12 aerial bombs on Toretsk.

The situation remains particularly tense in the Pokrovsk region, with fierce battles reported in Kalynove, Vozdvizhivka, Novoolesandrivka, Ivanivka, Zhelanne, Serhiyivka, Novoselivka Persha, and Yasnobrodovka. Russian forces have made 25 attempts to storm Ukrainian positions in these areas.

On the Kurakhiv front, the Russian troops have attempted three attacks on Ukrainian positions today, targeting areas near Krasnohorivka and Kostyantynivka.

In the Vremivka sector, Ukrainian troops have repelled four assault attempts as Russian forces try to push towards Velyka Novosilka. Russian aircraft have struck Vuhledar with aerial bombs and unguided rockets, targeting areas near Makarivka, Urozhayne, and Staromayorske.

Finally, on the Dniprovske front, four unsuccessful attempts to storm Ukrainian positions were reported throughout the day.

In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.

Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.

Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

In recent days, Moscow’s official rhetoric has been dominated by hysteria over the decision of…

In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.