President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko as Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (DIU) destroyed a group of Russian soldiers who took photos in the village of Zelenyi Hai in Donetsk region to report to their command about a new “captured” position.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky extended his congratulations to pilots, engineers, technical specialists, and air defense crews on the occasion of the Ukrainian Air Force Day.
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Air Force is a source of professional pride for the Ukrainian military and a cornerstone of the country's future security.
The Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration has released photos and video footage showing the aftermath of a Russian missile strike on the city on August 2.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has acquired confidential internal documents related to Russia's newest strategic nuclear submarine, the K-555 Knyaz Pozharsky, of Project 955A Borei-A class.
On August 2, Ukraine's Defense Forces engaged in 138 combat clashes with Russian invading forces. The most intense fighting was reported in the Pokrovsk, Northern Slobozhanshchyna, Kursk, and Lyman sectors.
The total combat losses of Russian troops since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, from February 24, 2022, to August 3, 2025, amount to approximately 1,056,130 people, including 920 people over the past day.
In the first half of this year, border guards destroyed more than 6,500 pieces of equipment and 270 ammunition depots with the help of drones, and also hit more than 9,000 Russian shelters.
On the night of August 3, explosions were heard in Chuhuiv and Balakliia in the Kharkiv region due to enemy strikes, resulting in casualties and destruction.
The International Atomic Energy Agency team at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant recorded explosions and smoke coming from one of the auxiliary facilities near the plant site on Saturday.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has analyzed recent remarks by Russian leader Vladimir Putin and self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko regarding the Oreshnik system and peace negotiations.
Russian forces are ramping up their offensive to seize key urban areas in the Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Novopavlivka sectors, attempting to push into Pokrovsk by employing a "total infiltration" tactic and increasing sabotage activities behind Ukrainian lines.
Since the beginning of the day, 104 combat engagements have taken place between Ukraine's Defense Forces and Russian occupiers, with 28 of them occurring in the Pokrovsk sector.
On the evening of August 2, the Russian army dropped two guided aerial bombs on the city of Kherson. The attack damaged a road bridge leading to the Korabel neighborhood, destroyed three private homes, and damaged an apartment building.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have exposed an MP, the head of a district military administration, the head of a city military administration, as well as National Guard officers, in a scheme involving the procurement of UAVs and electronic warfare systems at inflated prices.
Throughout the day, the Nikopol district in the Dnipropetrovsk region came under artillery and FPV drone attacks. The strikes hit the district center, as well as the Pokrovske, Marhanets, and Myrove communities, damaging an industrial facility, three private homes, and a power line.
The US raises the stakes amid Russia’s threats. In response to Moscow’s threats, American President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines closer to Russia. The Times reports that this is not just a show of force but a personal message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s statements, who on 31 July referenced the Soviet automatic nuclear strike system “Dead Hand” in the context of threats against the US, Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines. His threats came after Trump’s 10-day ultimatum that the US gave to Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
This exchange significantly escalated nuclear rhetoric between the two powers, underscoring the growing intertwining of the Ukraine war with nuclear deterrence.
US nuclear submarines head toward Russia
The American president responded in his trademark style — tough and theatrical. In a Truth Social post, Trump announced the relocation of two nuclear submarines to relevant regions.
This move is not just a military maneuver but a strategic political signal. Trump is responding less to Medvedev’s rhetoric and more to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rejection of Trump’s ceasefire proposal in Ukraine.
After the strike on Kyiv that killed 31 people, including five children, Putin confirmed that Russia’s conditions for ending the war, announced back in summer 2024, remain unchanged. He added that Russia is ready to wait until Ukraine agrees to Moscow’s conditions.
Among them are:
The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia
Ukraine’s refusal of NATO membership
Ukraine’s non-nuclear status
Sanctions’ lift
What does the submarine deployment mean?
The US possesses 71 nuclear-powered submarines, including 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile subs, each capable of carrying up to 20 Trident II nuclear warheads. At any given moment, 8 to 10 of them are at sea. The White House said that this is not provocation but deterrence.
Sanctions, tariffs, and the energy war
In addition to military signals, Trump threatens secondary sanctions against buyers of Russian energy. India is already feeling the heat — partial tariffs of 25% have been imposed. In the danger zone are China and Brazil, whichremain key importers of Russian gas.
These statements show that Trump’s policy toward Russia is rapidly changing, and the US pressure against Moscow is also increasing.
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Russian forces shelled the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region with cannon artillery, killing one civilian and damaging residential buildings and vehicles.
The Ukrainian Navy has confirmed reports of damage to the mooring front at Russia’s nuclear submarine base in Kamchatka, following a recent powerful earthquake in the region.
The Kherson Regional Military Administration has released video footage showing the aftermath of Russian shelling in Kherson’s Korabelnyi district on August 2. The attack left two men wounded and caused damage to residential buildings, including shattered windows, damaged facades, and destroyed rooftops.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, has survived approximately 20 assassination attempts since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Russian military has been throwing troops at the Toretsk direction for over six months, but each time they are crushed by Ukrainian defenses. Russians have lost about 50,000 soldiers on this front, with more than 20,000 irreversible casualties, Army TV reports.
Russia controls nearly 70-80% of Donetsk Oblast. Toretsk lies on critical logistical routes leading to Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk. Capturing Toretsk would disrupt Ukrainian logistics and facilitate further Russian advances toward key administrative centers in Donbas.
“50,000 people — that’s a good-sized European stadium filled to the brim. But the Kremlin regime didn’t bring these people for football. It brought them to die near Toretsk,” Major Serhii Khominsky, Ukrainian press officer of the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade, says.
A fortress holding out for over a year
Khominsky stresses that the 100th Brigade has held this crucial front line for over a year. Despite repeated Russian attempts to break through from Horlivka toward Kostyantynivka, they have only reached the outskirts of Toretsk and failed to advance further.
“This is one of the front sectors where the enemy has made the least progress. It frustrates them, but they can’t change anything — thanks to the heroism of our fighters,” he emphasizes.
Ukrainian defenders have faced nearly every form of Russian tactics here: from massive armored assaults to nighttime infantry storm attacks.
“You could say the only things we haven’t seen are battle kangaroos and penguins. Everything else has been tried,” Khominsky adds with bitter irony.
Russia deploys robots in battle
The officer also reveals that Russia has started using ground robotic combat systems. However, these machines proved nearly powerless in the devastated urban environment.
“High-rise buildings turned into thousands of tons of rubble. These ruins are hard to pass even for a human, let alone a robotic system,” Khominsky explains.
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On August 2, Russian forces launched a drone strike on the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region, injuring five people and damaging residential buildings, a market, and a shop.
On the night of August 1-2, drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck a military airfield used for storing and launching Shahed-type drones in Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, as well as the Elektropribor military plant in Penza.
In Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, firefighting efforts lasted more than 24 hours following a large-scale blaze triggered by a Russian attack during the night of July 31 to August 1.
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