For the third consecutive month, Russian generals are throwing the army into a record number of “meat assaults” after promising Putin they would capture the Donbas by the end of the year.

The number of "assault actions" by the Russian army in Ukraine set a record in July for the third consecutive month, according to calculations by the Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState.

Data indicates that last month, Russian generals ordered the army to assault Ukrainian positions 8,000 times. The number of "assault actions" rose by approximately 11% compared to June, 14% compared to May, and 60% relative to the winter and early spring.

On average, Russian units carried out 258 assaults per day, compared to 167 during the January–April period, according to DeepState’s calculations. Despite this, the Russian military's advance remained stagnant: last month, they expanded the territory under their control by only 88 square kilometers—following a 57-square-kilometer gain the month prior—while ending May with a net loss of 11 square kilometers of territory. By comparison, the Russian army captured between 126 and 245 square kilometers per month from January to April, and around 500 square kilometers late last year.

Russia’s military leadership is in a rush: according to Bloomberg sources close to the Kremlin, General Staff generals have promised President Vladimir Putin that they can fully capture the Donetsk region by the end of the year. About 17% of the region remains outside Russian control, including a 50-kilometer belt of fortress cities—Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk. However, a number of Russian military figures consider the timeline presented to Putin unrealistic, believing instead that the war for the Donbas will drag on into 2027, the Bloomberg sources said.

Even at the peak rates of the Russian offensive currently recorded in the statistics, Putin’s army cannot capture the Donetsk region in the foreseeable future, according to military analyst Yan Matveev. "When you consider the losses the Russian army is sustaining for such modest gains—and what is happening in the rear—it becomes clear that this is a one-way path into the abyss," he adds.

Despite a stalled offensive, the massive use of drones, and long-range strikes on Russian territory, Putin—according to Bloomberg sources—remains convinced he is winning the war; rather than making concessions, he is only hardening his demands. Sources indicated that Putin believes the U.S. violated the Anchorage agreements and is no longer willing to settle for just the Donetsk region; instead, he seeks full control over the other Ukrainian regions annexed in 2022—Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The Luhansk region is already under nearly total Russian control.