Resilience and cohesion of Ukrainian society during the war (July-August 2026)

This report was drafted by the team of the Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Research (UCIPR) as part of the activities of the National Platform for Resilience and Social Cohesion (National Platform). This civic initiative was launched in February 2018 (formerly known as the National Platform ‘Dialogue on Peace and Secure Reintegration’).

The report is based on data on events in 12 oblasts of Ukraine which are important for shaping a policy of national resilience. The project’s target oblasts were selected based on analysis of changes in cohesion of local populations due to the outbreak of military operations and include Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv oblasts. For data collection, we distinguish between the temporarily occupied areas, frontline and deoccupied areas, and relatively rear areas.

UCIPR is grateful for the materials supplied by participants of the Regional Network of National Platform for Resilience and Social Cohesion, Volodymyr Merezhko, Denys Hrechko, Andrii Romanenko, Mykola Yatskiv, Dmytro Arabadzhyiev, Oksana Ivasiv, Viktoriia Demchenko, Tamara Astakhova, Diana Barynova, Dementii Bielyi, Nataliia Nechaieva-Yuriichuk, Liubov Muliovana. 

SUMMARY 

The situation at the front line

In July–August, the pace of the Russian advance in Donetsk oblast slowed, while Russian pressure increasingly centred on the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk–Druzhkivka–Kostiantynivka urban agglomeration. In some areas, Russian forces crossed the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas Canal. They were 7–9 kilometres from residential areas of Kramatorsk. No significant changes to the front line were recorded along the Lyman axis.

The slower ground advance was accompanied by intensified strikes on cities in Donetsk oblast. Russian forces used guided aerial bombs more frequently against Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, including in large-scale attacks. Residential buildings, health care facilities, post offices, shops, and shopping centres were among the sites hit.

In Kharkiv oblast, active hostilities continued along the Southern Slobozhanskyi and Kupiansk axes. In August, Ukrainian forces liberated territory near Dvorichna and took control of the northern part of the village of Zapadne. Russian strikes also extended to communities previously considered relatively safer, while FPV drones were used with growing frequency against targets in Kharkiv itself.

Along the Zaporizhzhia axis, Russian forces intensified assault operations in the Huliaipole and Orikhiv sectors, but no large-scale breakthrough occurred. Ukrainian forces contained the offensive and carried out counterattacks, preventing Russian forces from building on local tactical gains. Zaporizhzhia and frontline communities across the oblast were regularly attacked with guided aerial bombs and drones.

In the right-bank part of Kherson oblast, Russian ground activity was limited, but attacks from a distance became even more systematic. Drone attacks remained extremely intense, and civilian transport was hit particularly often, including minibuses, taxis, private and evacuation vehicles, and emergency service vehicles. In late August, new air strikes significantly damaged Kherson TPP, complicating the city’s preparations for the heating season.

In Dnipropetrovsk oblast, strikes on Nikopol and Synelnykove raions intensified, while Pavlohrad and Kryvyi Rih came under heavy attack. The deteriorating security situation led to wider evacuations. Meanwhile, along the Oleksandrivka axis, Ukrainian forces regained control of some territory.

In Mykolaiv oblast, Russian strikes affected not only coastal communities but also port, transport, industrial, and energy infrastructure elsewhere in the oblast. In Chernihiv oblast, alongside the continued shelling of border areas, Russian forces began using jet-powered drones extensively.

In Odesa oblast, the intensity of Russian strikes remained high. Alongside port infrastructure, residential buildings, businesses, logistics facilities, and energy infrastructure regularly came under attack. In late August, strikes on energy infrastructure caused power outages.

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