Civil turbulence continues on both sides as volume of attacks rises. Gasoline shortages in Russia continue with a clear majority of service stations closed.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 65 Shahed- and Gerbera-type strike drones, Banderol loitering munitions, and Parodiya-type decoy drones from the directions of Kursk and Oryol cities; occupied Donetsk city; and occupied Hvardiiske, Crimea.[73]

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces downed 56 drones and two Banderol loitering munitions, that an unspecified number of drones and missiles struck 10 locations, and that drone debris fell on three locations. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces struck energy, transportation, residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and civilian infrastructure in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, and Zhytomyr oblasts.[74] Ukrainian state energy operator Ukrenergo reported that Russian strikes caused power outages in Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts.[75]

Russian strikes against Ukraine are causing significant disruption to the Ukrainian economy. The Economist reported on August 19 that Russian strikes are inflicting significant damage on the Ukrainian economy, causing an estimated $500 million in damages to Ukrainian businesses and Ukrainian industrial and agricultural infrastructure.[76] 

The Economist noted that Russian strikes against port infrastructure in Odesa Oblast could disrupt Ukraine’s ability to export 50 million tons of already harvested agricultural products.

Ukraine’s air defenses downed or suppressed 58 Russian aerial targets overnight: 56 Shahed, Gerbera and other drones, plus two Banderol loitering munitions. Russia launched 65 drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Strikes were recorded at 10 locations across Ukraine.… pic.twitter.com/bQS3vH0qv5

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) August 19, 2026

Ukrainian forces struck the Ufa Oil Refining Hub, which includes three separate refineries, in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan (about 1,200 kilometers from the international border) overnight on August 18 to 19. 

Geolocated footage published on August 19 shows smoke rising from the Ufa Oil Refining Hub.[24] Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation Head Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko and Bashkortostan Republic Head Radiy Khabirov confirmed the Ukrainian strike.[25] Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi assessed that the Ukrainian strike destroyed the AVT-6 primary refining unit at the Bashneft Oil Refinery in Ufa.[26]

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed on August 19 that Ukraine’s August 14 to 15 strike against the Progress Space Launch Center in Samara Oblast hit the Soyuz launch vehicle engine assembly workshop.[27] The Progress Center is Russia’s main production center for Soyuz launch vehicles, which Russia needs to launch satellites for its Rassvet (the Russian Starlink analogue) constellation.[28] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the August 14 to 15 strike also caused a fire at an aircraft maintenance workshop at the Aviakor Aviation Plant in Samara City.

Likely Ukrainian forces reportedly struck grain vessels at or near Russian ports in the Black Sea in recent days. 

Bloomberg reported on August 18, citing sources familiar with the matter, that unspecified actors struck at least five grain vessels near the ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai on August 17 and 18 — the first confirmation of strikes against grain vessels at Russian ports.[29] The sources stated that Russian authorities are downplaying the strikes. Ukraine recently offered a moratorium on strikes against maritime targets in the Black Sea, but the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) rejected this proposal on August 14.[30]

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
Helen Keller

The combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 2022 to August 19, 2026. pic.twitter.com/ykdeBlqpMt

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 19, 2026

⚡️ RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE — AUG 19, 2026

■ Liveuamap confirms previously reported 🇺🇦 advances, erasing over a month of 🇷🇺 gains
■ Engagements remain above average, but casualties and equipment losses are below average
■ 🇷🇺 overnight attacks: only 65 drones reported with… pic.twitter.com/xIvK75gz3Z

— Ragnar Gudmundsson 🇮🇸🇺🇦 (@ragnarbjartur) August 19, 2026

Between Izium and Orikhiv, the Ukrainian army has developed a massive defensive line spanning 300 km, featuring no fewer than 67 secured checkpoints/passages.

For 2 years, Ukraine 🇺🇦 dug thousands of kilometers of ditches to stop Russia 🇷🇺's "infinite" manpower.

🧵THREAD🧵1/20… pic.twitter.com/s5r3JngA0L

— Clément Molin (@clement_molin) August 17, 2026

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Operational Update as of 10:00 p.m. on August 19, 2026, regarding the Russian invasion

In total, 189 combat engagements have taken place since the start of this 24-hour period.
The enemy carried out 70 airstrikes and dropped 224 guided bombs. In addition, it deployed 6,564 kamikaze drones and carried out 2,260 shelling attacks on populated areas and our troops’ positions.

• In the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk sectors, the Defense Forces successfully repelled two enemy attacks. In addition, the enemy carried out one airstrike using two guided bombs and fired 53 times at our troops’ positions and populated areas.
• Over the past 24 hours in the Southern Slobozhansky direction, the enemy launched eight assaults on our units’ positions near Lyman, Okhrimivka, and Bochkove; two firefights are still ongoing.
• In the Kupiansk sector, no enemy assaults were recorded.
• Ten attempts by the invaders to advance were repelled in the Lyman sector in the areas of Shyikivka, Karpivka, Novoselivka, Zarichne, Drobysheve, and Lyman; one more firefight is ongoing.
• In the Sloviansk sector, the Defense Forces successfully halted 14 attempts by the invaders to advance near Kryva Luka, Zakitne, and Mykolaivka.
• Two enemy assaults were recorded in the Kramatorsk sector in the areas of Dibrova and Vasyutynske.
• In the Kostiantynivka sector, the Defense Forces repelled 21 enemy assaults near Ivanopil, Kostiantynivka, Illinivka, Oleksandro-Shultyn, and Novoselivka.
• The enemy carried out a total of 26 attacks in the Pokrovsk direction. The occupiers attempted to advance in the areas around the settlements of Vilne, Kucheryv Yar, Hannivka, Matyashieve, Svitle, Bilytske, Shevchenko, Vasylivka, Kotlyne, Udachne, Muravka, and Molodetske.
  According to preliminary estimates, 33 occupiers were killed and 15 wounded here today; two artillery systems, four vehicles, one piece of specialized equipment, two drone control stations, and 27 enemy shelters were destroyed. Three vehicles, one UAV control station, and 90 enemy shelters were damaged. A total of 352 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types were destroyed or neutralized.
• Our defenders repelled five attacks by the occupiers in the Oleksandrivka sector in the areas of Voskresenka, Piddubne, Novoye Zaporizhzhya, and Rybne.
• Seven attacks by the occupiers were recorded in the Hulyaypil sector in the areas of the settlements of Vozdvizhivka, Tsvitkove, and Novoselivka.
• In the Orikhiv sector, our defenders repelled three enemy attacks in the areas of Stepove, Mali Shcherbakiv, and Primorske.
• No enemy assaults were recorded in the Dnipro sector.
• In other sectors, there were no significant changes in the situation.
  Let’s defeat the enemy and bring our Victory closer!
  Glory to Ukraine!

Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to present Russia’s poor economic performance in a positive light as he is unable to conceal the damage that over four years of war and Ukrainian long-range strikes have done to the Russian economy. 

Putin stated that Russia’s GDP growth is currently around one percent, characterizing the growth as “modest” but positive.[1] Putin acknowledged that “external pressure” and “terrorist attacks” — the Kremlin’s code for Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign — are affecting Russia’s economic growth. Putin tacitly acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes against Wildberries facilities in late July and August 2026, which are imposing growing operational and financial costs on Russia, mean that some logistics and warehouses require “restoration” but claimed that all trade infrastructure is operating effectively.[2]

Putin sought to reassure the Russian public that he is taking appropriate measures to address Russia’s economic challenges ahead of the upcoming September State Duma elections. He tried to present the Russian government as prioritizing quality of life issues for Russian citizens even as the Kremlin also tries to prepare Russian society to make more sacrifices for his failing war.

The Russian people have been increasingly feeling the effects of war in the form of rising inflation and the price of goods, gasoline shortages, and labor shortages.[3] Putin is likely acknowledging the damage Ukrainian strikes are doing to the Russian economy to portray himself and his United Russia party as aware of the economic and social struggles of the Russian people and to avoid appearing isolated from economic realities ahead of the elections.

Putin has been able to present a fictional picture of the Russian military’s performance on the battlefield to the Russian public more readily than he can dissemble about the economic situation.

The Kremlin has conducted a broad censorship campaign aimed at controlling the narrative of the progress of the full-scale invasion since 2022, making it easier for Putin to present a much more positive vision of the war’s progress than the military situation actually supports.[4] Ukrainian long-range strikes, however, have forced Putin to publicly acknowledge the economic effects that over four years of war have had on Russia as the Russian population and business community see those strikes and their effects themselves in ways that censorship cannot control

Gasoline shortages are continuing across Russia, including in areas Putin has sought to shield from negative consequences of the war. 

Russian state newspaper Izvestia reported on August 18, citing data from Russian crowd-sourced mobile application GdeBENZ (which provides Russians real-time fuel availability and prices), that gasoline was available at only 28 percent of all Russian gas stations, down from 41 percent the previous week.[5] Fuel availability has reportedly declined across several Russian oblasts that are frequent targets of Ukrainian long-range strikes, including Moscow Oblast.[6]

Russian state-owned oil company Gazprom Neft‘s hotline acknowledged to Russian business outlet RBK that it has instituted gasoline quotas at some gas stations in Moscow City but claimed that it was making efforts to increase supply.[7] Izvestia correspondents confirmed on August 17 that 21 gas stations in Moscow City and Moscow Oblast were experiencing varying levels of gasoline shortages, particularly of high-quality gasoline. The correspondents reported that only seven of the 21 gas stations were selling AI-92 gasoline, six were selling AI-95, and only five were selling AI-98 gasoline. The Kremlin has long sought to shield residents of urban areas in western Russia, particularly Moscow and St. Petersburg, from the impacts of its war in Ukraine.[8]

Renewed gasoline shortages across Russia, including in Moscow, resulting from Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign, indicate that the Kremlin’s ability to shield Moscow residents is becoming tenuous.

The Russian government’s attempts to alleviate gasoline shortages are having compounding effects, including in other key economic sectors. 

Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported on August 19 that Russia is also experiencing shortages in motor oil due to the reduced availability of raw inputs and difficulties importing motor oil.[9] Kommersant reported on August 18 that the Russian Government Commission on Economic Development and Integration met in mid-August 2026 to discuss a possible ban on the export of aromatic hydrocarbons.[10] Aromatic hydrocarbons are used in lower-quality gasoline but are necessary for a number of defense-related products, including synthetics, rubbers, and polymers. 

Kommersant noted that refineries produce aromatic hydrocarbons and decide how much to release to the domestic market rather than using them to produce gasoline. Kommersant noted that Russian refineries are now using more aromatic hydrocarbons to produce lower-octane gasoline in order to alleviate the ongoing Russian fuel shortages following a July 2 decree allowing them to do so.[11] Reallocation of aromatic hydrocarbons to the production of lower-quality gasoline is exacerbating shortages in other sectors, including in the availability of motor oil, as fueling with lower-octane gasoline requires more motor oil to maintain vehicles.

The Russian government’s attempts to increase the domestic flow of gasoline supplies are increasing stressors on other parts of the Russian petrochemical industry and on industrial production dependent on petroleum products other than gasoline or diesel. Even these measures, however, have not resolved ongoing fuel shortages in Russia.

Kremlin concern about social disorder resulting from fuel shortages has reportedly led to the deployment of paramilitary forces in some areas. 

A Russian insider source claimed on August 18 that Putin deployed Rosgvardia (Russia’s heavily militarized internal security force) units to gas stations in Moscow Oblast.[12] Rosgvardia personnel have reportedly deployed to at least 13 gas stations in Russia and occupied Crimea amidst ongoing fuel shortages in Summer 2026.[13] Putin is deploying additional Rosgvardia manpower to patrol gas stations likely in order to manage civil unrest and violence occurring at gas stations due to severe fuel shortages and sales restrictions.[14] Putin’s deployment of Rosgvardia personnel also likely suggests that the Kremlin expects the Russian fuel crisis and fuel-related violence to protract. The deployment of Rosgvardia troops indicates that the Kremlin does not have confidence in the ability of Russian regular police forces to manage the scale of fuel-related violence.

The Kremlin is also expanding the legal authorities of Russia’s emergency forces, likely in part in anticipation of more widespread public unrest.

Russia’s legislative commission approved a draft bill on August 18 allowing Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations’ rescue forces to use physical force and firearms if the forces cannot fulfil their duties through nonviolent means, according to a source within the Kremlin and another source within the legislative commission.[15] The bill allows rescue forces to use firearms to prevent attempts to seize military equipment and to protect Ministry of Emergency Situations’ personnel. Deputy chairman of Russia’s Security and Anti-Corruption Committee reported that the bill will also provide a legal tool for Russian rescue forces to counter Ukrainian drone strikes during evacuations in occupied Ukraine and in emergency situations. Russian officials are framing the bill solely as a counter-drone measure. The draft bill provides the Kremlin with additional means to suppress domestic unrest, including through violent means if necessary.

The Kremlin is amending Russia’s civil defense law likely in anticipation of public discontent amidst continuing domestic gasoline shortages and possibly in anticipation of involuntary mobilization that Putin is reportedly considering for after the September State Duma elections.

Russian authorities are restricting mass gatherings in Moscow’s Red Square, likely out of fear of protests and domestic unrest. 

The organizers of the Spasskaya Bashnya (Savior Tower) military music festival announced on August 17 the cancellation of the music festival, originally scheduled for August 21 to 30, “for reasons beyond the organizers’ control.”[16] Russia has held the Spasskaya Bashnya music festival annually in Red Square since 2007 (except 2020), and it includes military bands of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Rosgvardia, Federal Security Service (FSB), and other federal security agencies.[17] Russian authorities also cancelled an annual concert in Red Square for Russia Day planned for June 12.[18]

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation noted that the cancellations of mass events in Red Square follow protests against the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to ban the opposition Yabloko Party from the September 18 to 20 State Duma elections.[19] Large public events in Red Square would likely draw a large security presence to manage even without fear of protests or civil unrest, and the cancellations of these events indicate that Russian authorities have chosen to preserve the bandwidth of their security forces amid the new competing requirements imposed by the effects of the war in general and of Ukraine’s strike campaign in particular.

Key Takeaways

Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to present Russia’s poor economic performance in a positive light as he is unable to conceal the damage that over four years of war and Ukrainian long-range strikes have done to the Russian economy.
*
Gasoline shortages are continuing across Russia, including in areas Putin has sought to shield from negative consequences of the war.
*
The Russian government’s attempts to alleviate gasoline shortages are having compounding effects, including in other key economic sectors.
*
Kremlin concern about social disorders resulting from fuel shortages has reportedly led to the deployment of paramilitary forces in some areas.
*
Russian authorities are restricting mass gatherings in Moscow’s Red Square, likely out of fear of protests and domestic unrest.
*
The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) confirmed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appointment of Yevheniy Khmara as the Ukrainian Defense Minister on August 19.
Russia and Ukraine recently conducted an exchange of prisoners of war (POW).
*
Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Kharkiv Oblast, and Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk direction.
*
Ukrainian forces struck the Ufa Oil Refining Hub, which includes three separate refineries, in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan (about 1,200 kilometers from the international border) overnight on August 18 to 19.
*
Russian forces launched 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 65 drones against Ukraine overnight.  

Trump instructed the DoD to reduce US-South Korea combined exercises to avoid sending a “hostile” signal to an “unthreatening” country, referring to North Korea.