*** Official Russia vs. Ukraine Discussion - Invasion has begun *** (4 Viewers)

[fatness]

Senior government officials in Eastern Europe have reacted with skepticism to comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Alaska summit. While saying he was interested in ending the conflict, Putin said the primary causes needed to be “eliminated” for that to happen, adding that the “situation in Ukraine” had to do with “fundamental threats to (Russia’s) security.”

In a post on X on Saturday morning local time, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene accused Putin of “more gaslighting and veiled threats,” a reference to the Russian leader issuing a warning to Ukraine and Europe not to “sabotage” progress made at the summit. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement that he welcomed US President Donald Trump’s efforts but doubted Putin’s interest in a deal, according to Reuters. “If Putin were serious about negotiating peace, he would not have been attacking Ukraine all day today,” he said.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-putin-meeting-news-08-15-25#cmedn2vlo000p3b6oi2cgfqlh

 

[Don't Toews Me]

https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/1956722650123841678

A source briefed on Trump's talks with Putin said the Russian president proposed to freeze the front in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson area in exchange for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk — a demand Ukraine is highly unlikely to accept

Putin demanded Ukraine cede Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for freezing rest of front line

Putin made it clear that he had not dropped his core demands to “resolve the root causes” of the conflict, which would essentially end Ukraine’s statehood in its current form and roll back Nato’s eastward expansion.

But the Russian president is prepared to compromise on other issues, including territory, if he is satisfied that the “root causes” are addressed, according to a former senior Kremlin official.

Trump Tells Europeans He Is Open to Providing Direct Security Guarantees to Ukraine

President Trump told European leaders in a phone call from Air Force One that he is more willing than before for the U.S. to provide direct security guarantees to Ukraine, according to people familiar with the content of the conversation.

Ukrainian defenses face a challenge as Russian troops make gains ahead of the Putin-Trump summit

The breach of the defensive line has seemed inevitable for months, according to a drone pilot in the area, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly. Moscow’s forces have been exploiting the lack of Ukrainian infantry, a problem tied not only to the country’s stalled mobilization but also to poor management, the pilot said.

“We pay with territory and lives to fix mistakes — and we can keep fixing mistakes only as long as we have even a scrap of land left,” the pilot said.

Ukrainian forces have tried to plug the gaps by extensive use of first-person-view drones — remotely piloted devices loaded with explosives that allow operators to see targets before striking.
These FPVs have turned areas up to 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) from the front into deadly zones on both sides of the line. But because the Russians attack with small groups, it’s hard to counter with drones alone.

“We can’t launch 100 FPVs at once,” the pilot said, noting the drone operators would interfere with each other.

Russia is focused on expanding the breach of the front line into a corridor to support its ground forces, Bieleskov said. The strategy avoids direct assaults on heavily fortified urban centers, instead pushing through open terrain where Ukraine’s troop shortages and large settlements make defense harder.

If successful, such a move could bypass Russia’s need to storm Kostiantynivka — once a city of over 67,000 people and now significantly ruined and on the verge of falling. That would complicate defending the region’s last big cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka, posing a serious challenge for Ukraine’s military.
Cmdr. Serhii Filimonov of the “Da Vinci Wolves” battalion of the 59th brigade, warned that Kostiantynivka could fall without a fight if Russia severs supply routes.

With few major roads, maintaining logistics for the large number of Ukrainian forces in the area would become “extremely difficult,” Filimonov said.

Russia captures two more villages in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says

Russian troops have occupied two additional villages in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast amid intensified fighting, the Ukrainian military said in an official statement on Aug. 16.

Russian troops continue pressing Ukrainian lines across the front line, and especially around Dobropillia and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, as Kyiv warns that Moscow may seek to gain leverage in future talks.

Russian forces captured the villages of Popiv Yar, southwest of Dobropillia, and Ivano-Darivka, located northeast of Sloviansk.

Fighting continues as Russian troops push to expand their control near Novyi Shakhove, west of Vuhledar, and step up attacks toward Ivanivka, a settlement in the Dobropillia sector, the statement by Ukraine's Dnipro Group of Forces said.

According to the military, Russian forces continued offensive actions near the towns of Rodynske, Myroliubivka, Pokrovsk, Novoekonomichne, Novoukrainka and Zvirove in an attempt to reach the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 15, 2025

Ukrainian officials continue to indicate that Ukrainian counterattacks are stabilizing the situation east and northeast of Dobropillya (northwest of Pokrovsk). Ukrainian Dnipro Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Viktor Trehubov reported on August 15 that Ukrainian forces have stabilized Russian penetration near Pokrovsk and Dobropillya. Trehubov stated that Ukrainian forces continue to destroy the Russian assault groups in the area and that Russian forces have not been able to redeploy additional troops to the area. A Ukrainian corps operating in the Pokrovsk direction reported on August 15 that Ukrainian forces cleared Pokrovsk of Russian groups and individual soldiers who had previously infiltrated the settlement. A Ukrainian corps operating in the Pokrovsk direction reported on August 15 that Ukrainian forces cleared Hruzke, Rubizhne, Novovodyane, Petrivka, Vesele, and Zolotyi Kolodyaz (all northeast of Dobropillya). A Ukrainian source reportedly affiliated with Ukrainian military intelligence reported on August 15 that Ukrainian forces have in part stabilized the situation along the Vesele-Zolotyi Kolodyaz-Kucheriv Yar line (northeast of Dobropillya). ISW has not observed broader reporting about Ukrainian forces clearing settlements in the Russian penetration near Dobropillya at this time. Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets reported on August 15 that elements of the Russian 5th, 110th, and 132nd separate motorized rifle brigades (all of the 51st Combined Arms Army [CAA], formerly 1st Donetsk People's Republic Army Corps [DNR AC], Southern Military District [SMD]) initially advanced several hundred meters east of Pankivka (east of Dobropillya) but that Ukrainian counterattacks from Volodymyrivka and Shakhove (both north of Pankivka) pushed back the Russian advance. Mashovets stated that elements of the Russian 114th and 132nd separate motorized rifle brigades (both of the 51st CAA) have been attempting to hold Dorozhnie (southeast of Dobropillya) and to repel Ukrainian counterattacks in the Ivanivka-Zapovidne direction (north to east of Dorozhnie) since August 13. A Russian milblogger also acknowledged that Ukrainian forces are counterattacking near Zolotyi Kolodyaz (northeast of Dobropillya). The Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces had tactical successes near the T-0514 Dobropillya-Kramatorsk highway. Another milblogger claimed that Russian forces advanced in Volodymyrivka and Shakhove.[30] ISW has not observed confirmation of these claimed Russian advances, however.

 

[WVU Alum]

So, as a world superpower, the Russian military is flummoxed by Ukraine's ability to fly some drones high and some drones low?

 

[fatness]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...kraine-peace-after-meeting-alaska-2025-08-16/

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not", after hosting a summit with President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield a ceasefire. In a major shift, Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that negotiators should go straight to a peace settlement - not via a ceasefire, as Ukraine and its European allies, until now with U.S. support, have been demanding

"It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth Social. That statement will be welcomed in Moscow, which says it wants a full settlement - not a pause - but that this will be complex because positions are "diametrically opposed".

 

[The Z Machine]

Did Putin even say thank you for hosting the meeting?

 

[fatness]

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-...it-zelenskyy-63b0072a0b15be7e1b90fb967baad100

Zelenskyy, who was not invited to Alaska for the summit, said he had a “long and substantive” conversation with Trump early Saturday. He said they would “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war” on Monday. It will be Zelenskyy’s first visit to the U.S. since Trump berated him publicly for being “disrespectful” during an extraordinary Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28.

 

[fatness]

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5504196/trump-putin-summit-documents-left-behind

Papers with U.S. State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the Aug. 15 meetings between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage. Eight pages, that appear to have been produced by U.S. staff and left behind accidentally, shared precise locations and meeting times of the summit and phone numbers of U.S. government employees. At around 9 a.m. on Friday, three guests at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage where leaders from the U.S. and Russia convened, found the documents left behind in one of the hotel's public printers.

 

[timschochet]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

 

[Dezbelief]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We already did give Ukraine a security guarantee and ignored it in 2014. Why would we enforce a new one or why would Ukraine trust a new one?

Ukraine and weapons of mass destruction - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

In 1994, Ukraine agreed to transfer these weapons to Russia for dismantlement and became a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in exchange for economic compensation and assurances from Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom to respect Ukrainian independence and sovereignty within its existing borders.[6][7] Almost twenty years later, Russia, one of the parties to the agreement, invaded Ukraine in 2014.

 

[rockaction]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

 

[rockaction]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We already did give Ukraine a security guarantee and ignored it in 2014. Why would we enforce a new one or why would Ukraine trust a new one?

Ukraine and weapons of mass destruction - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

In 1994, Ukraine agreed to transfer these weapons to Russia for dismantlement and became a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in exchange for economic compensation and assurances from Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom to respect Ukrainian independence and sovereignty within its existing borders.[6][7] Almost twenty years later, Russia, one of the parties to the agreement, invaded Ukraine in 2014.

You beat me by a second and had a citation also. Good work.

 

[Desert_Power]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

How does it compare to the reformulated Kirkland TP?

 

[rockaction]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

How does it compare to the reformulated Kirkland TP?

It’s actually a little dustier and just as useless. It’s like half ply sandpaper where you better wash your hands after rubbing it all raw.

I love tim, by the way. Never afraid to speak without even a sliver of working knowledge to go on.

2016: “There aren’t any trans activists insisting on co-ed bathrooms!”

It’s not even infuriating anymore. It’s like a fuzzy orphaned bunny on Easter

 

[Dezbelief]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

This is all about Democracy, the fight for European democracy is on the front lines. Russia invasions will not stop with Ukraine.

 

[timschochet]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

When I wrote security guarantee I meant a promise that we go to war if Ukraine is invaded again. Thats what they’re talking about now as part of this peace agreement. I don’t think we should agree to that.

 

[rockaction]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

This is all about Democracy, the fight for European democracy is on the front lines. Russia invasions will not stop with Ukraine.

You can look upthread to what I’ve written about that if you’re directing this at me. If this is for tim please carry on and don’t mind me

 

[rockaction]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

When I wrote security guarantee I meant a promise that we go to war if Ukraine is invaded again. Thats what they’re talking about now as part of this peace agreement. I don’t think we should agree to that.

And what do you think we promised last time? Punch and shortbread?

 

[timschochet]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

When I wrote security guarantee I meant a promise that we go to war if Ukraine is invaded again. Thats what they’re talking about now as part of this peace agreement. I don’t think we should agree to that.

And what do you think we promised last time? Punch and shortbread?

Military aid if they’re attacked. Not to go to war ourselves.

 

[rockaction]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

We had already given Ukraine a security guarantee when they gave up their nuclear weapons in the nineties. I think Russia gave them one too. They want NATO. Ours are like Russian toilet paper.

When I wrote security guarantee I meant a promise that we go to war if Ukraine is invaded again. Thats what they’re talking about now as part of this peace agreement. I don’t think we should agree to that.

And what do you think we promised last time? Punch and shortbread?

Military aid if they’re attacked. Not to go to war ourselves.

You are right to make the distinction. We offered them assurances of international diplomacy. That’s about all. They characterized it totally inaccurately. I’m very much on their side, but I read the summaries of the agreements. They basically gave all that stuff away for paper pushing at the UN.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

Russia invasions will not stop with Ukraine.

Why are we pretending this isn't true when formulating a response/approach? Putin can't be more clear on this.

 

[Don't Toews Me]

https://x.com/JohnH105/status/1956769331578298847

The Ukrainian analytical project @Deepstate_UA reported that after the Russian tactical breakthrough near Dobropillia, Ukraine redeployed forces from 1st Azov Corps, 7th DShV Corps (82nd and 79th brigades), 38th Marine Brigade, 1st & 425th assault regiments, 25th Airborne Brigade, 92nd Assault Brigade’s 2nd Battalion, 32nd & 93rd mechanized brigades, NGU’s 14th Brigade, 414th “Birds of Madyar” UAS Brigade, National Police, and SBU units to the area.

https://x.com/JohnH105/status/1956814048387055711

“‘Time is playing against us,’ said Maksym, a sergeant commanding more than 130 troops in Ukraine’s 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which is among those tasked with pushing the Russians back before Moscow moves in artillery and drone units. Ukraine has since captured and killed several of the estimated 60 Russian troops who initially broke through, but the rest are holding on to their gains as they await reinforcements, he said.

By Thursday evening, Maksym said, Ukraine had forced Russians back as far as three miles in some places. He was confident they would retake even more land by the time Trump and Putin met Friday but acknowledged that conditions would become more difficult in villages, where the complex terrain typically slows advances…

The avoidable Russian breakthrough laid bare Ukraine’s persistent military vulnerabilities that have long obstructed its ability to advance: lack of manpower, lack of ammunition — and at times, lack of coordination and motivation among exhausted soldiers who are often expected to hold trenches for a month or more without rotations.

‘The fact we lost territory so fast, so rapidly, is because we are not adjusting to Russian tactics,’ said Capt. Artem Kulachevich, 40, a drone commander in the 82nd Brigade. The Russian troops who launched the surprise assault this week were unskilled, he said, but they got past more experienced Ukrainian soldiers whose reconnaissance teams failed to detect them in tree lines…

Nearby, drone operators from Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade stationed south of the key city of Pokrovsk were homing in on Russian troops. In a base near the front, commanders watched on the screens as the drones picked off the men one by one — the Russian troops’ bodies left in the destroyed landscape of abandoned Ukrainian homes.

Volodymyr, 49, a battalion commander, said his brigade has tried to hold this key part of the front line by maintaining it as ‘a kill zone’ that protects infantry by killing the foot soldiers before they reach Ukrainian positions.

But his most urgent need, he said, is people, and as he waits for recruits, Russia is staging new offensives…

Vitalii, 46, a unit commander in the battalion, said he was hit last week by a Russian drone but had the shrapnel removed and returned to the fight because he feared abandoning his troops. His men are holding the line south of Pokrovsk, which pushed Russia to find weaknesses elsewhere. The fight has left his soldiers exhausted and in desperate need of reinforcements they just don’t have.

‘We lack people,’ he said, but the brigade still manages to kill about 30 Russian troops per day. If Ukraine cedes that land, he said, Russia will use the people and resources from the occupied land ‘to fight against Ukraine.’”

Ukraine says it presses Russian troops back on part of Sumy front

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday that it had pushed Russian forces back by about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) on part of the Sumy front in northern Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Russia, which controls a little over 200 square kilometres in the region, according to Ukraine's battlefield mapping project DeepState.
"Ukrainian soldiers continue active combat actions to destroy the enemy and liberate our settlements," the Ukrainian general staff wrote on Facebook.
It added that fighting was raging near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka, which lie 5 km and 7 km from the Russian border respectively.

On the front line, Russia’s warfare is more cunning than ever

Ukraine’s overstretched forces face increasing difficulties. The Russians may still be throwing cannon fodder into the battle, but they are using their troops as bait to expose enemy positions, part of an evolution of their tactics that now has many western experts worried.
One of the captured soldiers explains how he and five others drove up on an unarmoured buggy with orders simply “to go forward and hold the position there”. Only two survived.
Another soldier, from the 433rd Motor Rifle Regiment, recounted his jail time of 26 years, his enlistment to avoid a further sentence, and the three comrades he had lost to suicide on the front line.
Yet they have a role to play in what must be the grimmest, most lethal game of deception in the world. It is to draw the fire of Ukraine’s stretched defences as part of a new approach adopted in recent months by Russian generals.
Since the early days of the war the fighting has been depicted as a contest between Ukrainian military cunning and unimaginative brute Russian force. But the evidence from the battlefield — and recent advances by Moscow’s troops — suggest that view is increasingly out of date.
Rob Lee, a former US Marine who lives in Kyiv and analyses the conflict for the Foreign Policy Research Institute, worries that the correlation of forces may be changing and that this may embolden President Putin to keep fighting. “The big problem”, said Lee, “is that if Russia can keep innovating, they will overtake the Ukrainians in that respect and they will lose the qualitative edge they’ve relied upon.”

“Russian territorial gains, especially in July, have been quite significant and larger than in previous months”, said Konrad Muzyka, a Polish military analyst recently returned from a visit to the Donbas. “The Russians have advanced 10-12 km on several axes … we have several areas where the front is starting to leak,” he said.
Ukraine has had such difficulty raising new troops and its veteran brigades are so worn down that in many places the density of soldiers defending the open Donbas countryside is just 10 to 12 soldiers per kilometre. It’s best to deploy three or more together (so one can always be on duty), which means in practical terms you might typically have three bunkers covering that 1,000m stretch.
The Russians have therefore begun using infiltration tactics, sending multiple groups of between two and six men forward, often at night, with orders to bypass these positions, finding the next covered spot, typically a treeline.
If the Ukrainian defenders see and fire at them, they reveal their own position and will soon be hit by a Russian drone or glide bomb attack. And if the unfortunate Russian infantrymen die in the process of drawing that fire there will be more arriving from the training ground before long.

Around Pokrovsk, having got Ukrainian positions to reveal themselves, they have hammered them with bombs, drones and artillery. At the same time, after pushing their own soldiers through the gaps in small groups, the Russians use drones to resupply them, before reinforcing where they are able to. Little wonder a spokesman for the Ukrainian General Staff described the situation in that sector last week as “difficult and dynamic”.
So far the Ukrainians have been able to mop up the groups of Russian infiltrators before they can be reinforced in strength. But the danger to two of their vital defensive hubs, Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka, is clear and present.
Russian forces have also proved more adept recently at targeting Ukrainian drone teams, a central element of their defensive system. They’ve been striking deeper behind Ukrainian lines too — up to 50km — employing the Molnya, a small machine like a model aeroplane, to hit reserves and people bringing up supplies.
Deeper and more constant attempts to “interdict” the routes in and out of Ukrainian positions are raising the death rates there because it has become harder to evacuate soldiers wounded on the front line. Attempts to use remote-controlled land vehicles for evacuating casualties are still in their early stages.

 

[fatness]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/16/putin-trump-russia-summit-ukraine-war/
or if a paywall blocks you: https://archive.ph/Lbulb#selection-267.0-267.74

For Russia, the results of the Alaska summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin marked a turning point in relations with the United States, underlined by Trump subsequently abandoning demands for a halt in fighting in Ukraine. Russian officials and commentators were especially enamored by Trump’s unusually warm red-carpet greeting to Putin on Friday in which they saw an opening to pull America away from its traditional allies in Europe. “A new European and international security architecture is on the agenda, and everyone must accept it,” Andrei Klishas, an influential Russian senator, said after the summit.

 

[fatness]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-russia-war-analysis

And by the end of their meeting, Trump had offered a massive concession to his visitor by adopting the Russian position that peace moves should concentrate on a final peace deal — which will likely take months or years to negotiate — rather than a ceasefire to halt the Russian offensive now. As CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh pointed out, that just gives Putin more time to grind down Ukraine.

Most importantly, Trump has, at least for now, backed away from threats to impose tough new sanctions on Russia and expand secondary sanctions on the nations that buy its oil and therefore bankroll its war. He’d threatened such measures by a deadline that expired last week out of frustration with Putin’s intransigence and a growing belief the Russian leader was “tapping” him along. This leverage may have brought Putin to Alaska. But Trump seems to have relaxed it for little in return. “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News after the summit.

Trump briefed European leaders after the summit, telling them that Putin called on Ukraine to yield the roughly a third or so of the Donbas, encompassing the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, that Russia does not currently control. In return, he’d offer to freeze the front lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, CNN’s Kevin Liptak reported, citing European officials. This would force Ukraine into an agonizing dilemma. Some analysts fear such a deal would allow Moscow’s forces a platform to launch a future attack.

European leaders also said Trump voiced openness to providing US security guarantees for Ukraine once the war ends. This could be significant because the president has yet to commit to US support for any Western-led peace mission in the country. But he didn’t specify what kind of backing he’s willing to provide.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

never in my lifetime could I have ever imagined the US siding up with Russia against all those countries that have been our allies since WW2.

and I think we all know why.

 

[Don't Toews Me]

https://x.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1957040241703002137

Brief update on Dobropillia situation.Thread:

1/ As I noted from the outset, based on the limited information then available, there was no “operational breakthrough”. The penetration was tactical, involving roughly a battalion-sized force. Still, it is too soon for celebration
2/ Initially, the situation was especially risky, as Russian units managed to break east of Dobropillia. I would not describe this as a DRG (sabotage group) operation or a simple raid, since neither term accurately reflects the size of the force or its mission in the context
3/ It is positive that Ukrainian forces contained the threat and prevented it from developing into an operational breakthrough. However, the scale of reinforcements required was significant. According to Deep State, the following units were involved in the reinforcement effort:
4/ - 79th and 82nd Brigades, 1st and 425th Separate Assault Regiments, 25th Separate Btn, 2nd Btn of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, 32nd and 93rd Mechanized Brigades, 38th Marine Brigade, 14th Special Purpose Brigade, Madyar’s Birds, Police, SSU and elements of the 1st corps.
5/ This means Ukraine had to commit units from other directions. While not certain, this could increase risks elsewhere along the frontline. More importantly, such measures address the symptoms rather than the cause - they stabilize, but do not resolve the underlying problem.
6/ It is perhaps premature to talk about cutting off the salient completely. While Ukrainian counterattacks have proven successful, such operations are complicated and potentially costly, as it does not appear that Russian forces have abandoned their plan to expand the salient.
7/ On a more positive note, the intensity of these assaults is not sustainable. Force quality, attrition, fatigue, and the increased operational tempo all limit how long they can maintain this pace - provided Ukraine has sufficient troops to resist and wear them down.
/8 For analytical accuracy, I would like to emphasize on the last sentence - that this holds true only if Ukraine can at least address manpower issues in this sector and improve the attrition ratio. Until then, similar situations may recur without any reduction in pace

https://x.com/olliecarroll/status/1956968830372094212

It is difficult on Ukrainian frontlines. But we haven’t yet seen convincing evidence Russia is capable of achieving a sustained operational-level breakout in the conditions of 24/7 drone surveillance. Remember, we are still talking about Pokrovsk, Chasyv Yar, Kupiansk years in.

Brussels wants to ditch Russian gas. Turkey could keep it flowing undetected.

Turkey will not support the EU’s plan to ditch Russian gas imports, threatening Brussels’ efforts to kick the bloc’s remaining reliance on Moscow’s energy.

Sitting at the EU’s border, Turkey has long served as a conduit for Russian energy heading to Europe. But that connection is now under scrutiny after a recent EU proposal to eliminate all Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.

To execute its plan, Brussels wants to impose more monitoring requirements to better gauge how and where Moscow’s gas continues to enter the bloc. To work, however, the EU will likely need information from key transit countries like Turkey. And Ankara isn’t interested.

The reluctance, experts warn, could open up a loophole that allows Russian gas to keep flowing into the bloc undetected, long after the legal deadline. And it comes as ties between Brussels and Ankara have hit new lows amid a sweeping government crackdown on the Turkish opposition.

“Turkey’s reticence to comply with EU monitoring provisions could create challenges for the effective implementation of the proposed regulation, especially given Turkey's growing role as a transit and potential hub for Russian gas,” said Ville Niinistö, a Greens MEP and former Finnish environment minister who is leading the European Parliament’s work on the bill.

Since 2022 the EU has phased out all seaborne purchases of Russian oil and coal, while reducing its gas imports by around two-thirds. But it has continued buying significant volumes of supercooled liquefied natural gas from Moscow alongside limited pipeline supplies.

In June, Brussels unveiled a legal proposal to tackle those outstanding imports with a gradual blanket ban, starting with short-term contracts this year and phasing out longer-term deals in 2027.

To achieve that, the European Commission, the EU’s executive, wants to better track energy imports by asking companies bringing in Russian gas to hand over “all relevant information” needed to assess the fuel’s origin, including supply contracts. EU capitals and the European Parliament are now negotiating over the legislation.

Tracking gas flow origins is fiendishly difficult for the EU as there’s little way of testing where molecules come from. Meanwhile, supply contracts are confidential and fuel often passes through several intermediaries before reaching its destination.

The proposed rules wouldn’t place any legal obligations on Turkey, a non-EU member. But given contracts do not always clearly show where the fuel originated, EU firms may need to ask their Turkish counterparts for extra information if they want to keep importing gas, said Aura Săbăduș, a senior energy analyst and gas market expert at the ICIS consultancy.
That’s particularly relevant for the Strandzha-Malkoclar cross-border trading point linking Turkey to Bulgaria, Săbăduș explained.

Under a complex agreement signed in 2023, Bulgarian energy firm Bulgargaz can order liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes to Turkish terminals, she said, which are then handed over to Turkish state-owned company Botaş before being returned to Bulgargaz at the EU's border.

The problem is that “we don’t know whether this gas delivered into Bulgaria is the same” as that arriving at Turkey's terminals, Săbăduș said, meaning the EU cannot be certain it is not “mixed up” with other supplies in between.

And given the comparatively cut-price rate of Moscow’s gas, there’s a “high risk” much of that gas is Russian, she said, adding that the same risk also applies to the smaller Kipi interconnector between Greece and Turkey.

High-tech drones turn Ukraine’s front line into a deadly kill zone, complicating evacuations

“Because of drones ... that can reach far, the danger is there for the wounded themselves and now for the crews working to get them out,” said Daryna Boiko, the anesthesiologist from the “Ulf” medical service of the 108th Da Vinci Wolves Battalion. “That’s why the main difficulty now is transport.”

Now, the heavy use of first-person-view (FPV) drones, which let an operator see the target before striking, has turned areas up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front line into kill zones. Medics say they have not treated gunshot wounds for months, and most injuries now come from FPVs.

The drones are the most feared weapon, both because of their precision and because they reduce survival chances for those already injured by complicating the evacuation.

For Ukraine’s outnumbered army, that makes preserving crew even harder.

The growing use of FPVs has also made moving the wounded between points more difficult, said the commander of the 59th Brigade medical unit with call sign Buhor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“Everything is getting harder — the work has to be more mobile, the way we operate changes and the level of safety changes,” he said.

Asked whether those conditions have increased mortality among the wounded, he replied: “Significantly. There’s nothing you can do. Everything burns from those FPVs — everything, even tanks.”

He explained that the munitions carry a charge from a rocket-propelled grenade — a shoulder-fired weapon that launches an explosive designed to pierce armored vehicles. When it blasts, a jet of molten metal and fragments penetrate the cabin at extreme temperatures. The impact can cause anything from minor cuts and burns to severe wounds, including amputations, depending on where the fragments hit and their size.

Buhor said self-aid and self-evacuation are now heavily emphasized during training, but the existence of the kill zone means soldiers can be stuck in position for days or weeks — especially if a wound is not immediately life-threatening.

Valentyn Pidvalnyi, a 25-year-old assault soldier wounded in the back by shrapnel, said that one month on the positions in 2022 was easier than trying to survive one day now as infantry.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

OK I am going to be blunt about this. Forget about politics and the people involved in this currently. We should not give a security guarantee to Ukraine.

I am not for isolationism. I believe in giving military aid to Ukraine. I’m for sanctioning Russia. But there is a limit. There is always going to be trouble between Ukraine and Russia. Ten years from now, 50 years from now, doesn’t matter who the players are. And Russia has nuclear weapons.

If the price of a peace agreement is the United States offering a military guarantee to any part of Ukraine, that is too high a price to pay.

The Budapest Agreement included Russia, US & UK. Russia guaranteed Ukraine’s security, which meant they would remain free from attack, as did the US & UK. Obama did *not render assistance to Ukraine at the beginning. It took a long time to get there, & when it happened it started with non-military aid. Any Russian assurance of Ukraine security is worthless to Ukraine, Europe & the US. For Ukraine, a security guarantee from the west without NATO involvement & Art. 5 commitment is also worthless.
Budapest Agreement

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

SOS Rubio on ABC on Putin & security guarantees.

 

[fatness]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-witkoff-ukraine-russia-putin-war-048aa829a69b4020ca368577bfe18aee

Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. “We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added that it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that “we welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. and the ‘Coalition of the willing’ -- including the European Union -- is ready to do its share.”

 

[Chadstroma]

Ukraine mounts grenade launcher on tank-like drone for 3,600-ft range https://share.google/pfqmcnjda0wPjLFFZ

 

[Chadstroma]

Digital Gulag: Russia Forces Its Spy App on Every New Phone — UNITED24 Media https://share.google/kSqPgl4hXP7WnnzPn

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-witkoff-ukraine-russia-putin-war-048aa829a69b4020ca368577bfe18aee

Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. “We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added that it “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that “we welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. and the ‘Coalition of the willing’ -- including the European Union -- is ready to do its share.”

Look at the Budapest agreement above, everyone including Russia agreed to ensuring Ukraine being free from attack. Is that “Art. 5 like” language? Witkoff has been naive and as a real estate developer he’s in no position to know what this assurance means. If Art. 5 protections are offered then let Ukraine into NATO.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

>>His MAJESTY's GOVERNMENT in the United Kingdom and the French Government have entered into the above agreement on the basis that they stand by the offer, contained in paragraph 6 of the Anglo-French proposals of the 19th September, relating to an international guarantee of the new boundaries of the Czechoslovak State against unprovoked aggression.<<
Munich Agreement (Yale Archives)

 

[Chadstroma]

A security guarantee without NATO troops is meaningless. Russia will not agree to that unless they are defeated.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

A security guarantee without NATO troops is meaningless. Russia will not agree to that unless they are defeated.

Putin's been pretty clear with his goal. Crystal clear actually. It's going to take global strength to push back on him. It won't happen, but admission into NATO and leave the territory occupied to Russia and be done with it. Otherwise, Putin just keeps on keeping on.

 

[fatness]

Rubio says peace agreement "a long ways off" after Putin summit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that "we're not at the precipice" of a peace agreement after President Trump's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin ended without a deal on Russia's war in Ukraine.

The big picture: Trump, who Axios previously reported set a ceasefire as the goal of the talks, said "we didn't get there" after the meeting. Rubio on Sunday said both sides would have to make concessions, but refused to name any that Putin agreed to.

 

[fatness]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...guarantees-on-offer-but-russia-wants-some-too

Trump’s Ukraine envoy, the real estate developer Steve Witkoff, said Vladimir Putin had agreed that the US and European allies could offer Ukraine a Nato-style, “Article 5-like” security guarantee as part of an eventual deal to end the war. It appeared to be a major shift for Putin, but Witkoff has previously got it wrong when announcing what has been agreed in talks with the Russians – he does not speak Russian and has walked into meetings with Vladimir Putin without a translator of his own.

 

[fatness]

Also heading to Washington for Monday's meeting are French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is unclear how many of them will go to the White House. For so many heads of state to travel with such little notice across the Atlantic to what is essentially a wartime crisis meeting appears without precedent in the modern era, underscoring the sky-high stakes. Diplomatic sources say European officials are concerned that Trump may try to press Zelensky to agree to terms, after the Ukrainian leader was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting on US soil last Friday. Nato leaders also appear eager to avoid a repeat of Zelensky's February trip to the Oval Office that ended abruptly after an argument with Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance. The altercation - which saw Trump accuse Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three" - left Washington-Kyiv ties in tatters.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm21j1ve817o

 

[Chadstroma]

Zelenskyy reveals how Ukraine plans to handle territorial issues with Russia​

Any territorial issues should be discussed only by the leaders of the countries during a trilateral meeting. But Russia has so far shown no signs that it is ready for such talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.

Zelenskyy noted that Russia has made no significant gains in the Donetsk region despite all its efforts. President Vladimir Putin has been unable to capture this territory for 12 years. Ukraine's Constitution prohibits surrendering territory or any territorial deals.

"Since the territorial issue is so important, it should only be discussed by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral Ukraine, the United States, and Russia (meeting -ed.). So far, Russia gives no signs that a trilateral will happen. And if Russia refuses, then new sanctions must follow," the President said.

According to media reports, Putin approached the US with a request regarding Ukraine. He reportedly wants Washington to recognize temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia. He also allegedly proposed freezing the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in exchange for a halt to fighting and the withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbas. He pledged in writing not to attack Ukraine or Europe.

In response, Zelenskyy, during a conversation with US President Donald Trump, flatly refused to give up over Ukraine's Donbas to Russia. The Ukrainian President did not respond to Trump's statements that, allegedly, only such a move could achieve peace with Russia.

 

[Chadstroma]

Rubio reveals Ukraine dealt massive blow to Russian forces last month​

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimates that Ukraine killed up to 20,000 Russian soldiers in just the past month. He said this shows how costly the war has been for Russia.

According to Rubio, Washington is trying to find a "middle ground" between the two warring countries. The conflict is becoming more complex. Russia still believes it has momentum, while Ukraine continues to defend its positions and inflict heavy losses on Russian forces.

"I think last month alone, 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed in one month in this war. So the Ukrainians have inflicted a tremendous amount of damage on the Russians as a result of this. Both sides are very dug in," Rubio said.

He added that reconciliation between the two sides is difficult. However, the US is not giving up on efforts to pursue it.

"This is a difficult one. But we're going to continue to work on it because the President's made it a priority to try to end the war that should have never happened," Rubio concluded.

On August 16 alone, the Russian army lost 900 personnel, one air defense system, four tanks, and eight armored vehicles on the front. Since February 24, 2022, Russian personnel losses have totaled nearly 1.07 million.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are successfully holding their positions near Dobropillia in the Donetsk region. Russian command is attempting to break through in this sector and is redeploying forces and equipment. So far, their efforts have failed.

 

[Chadstroma]

Ukrainian Army Launches Offensive Just Hours After Trump-Putin Summit​

The National Guard of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have announced the recovery of 6 villages in Donetsk, Ukraine, advancing up to 1,000 meters in the Yablunivka area of the Sumy region.

Ukraine Attacks​

In a press release by the Ukrainian forces, particularly the 1st Corps of the National Guard, the Ukrainian army reported their success in retaking positions near Rubizhne, Zolotyi Kolodiaz, Vesele, Vilne Shakhove, Nikanorivka, and Sukhotske.

Villages such as Stepne, Novokostiantynivka, and Bezsalivka have been liberated, according to official statements, marking a reversal of Russian invasions that began earlier in the month.

Between August 4 and 16, Ukraine conducted coordinated strikes with Armed Forces brigades in Donetsk as assault and search-and-strike groups carried out operations in Pokrovsk.

The move came just a day after the Trump-Putin summit, where a controversial “land swap” proposal was reportedly discussed.

The deal would have ceded parts of Donetsk and Luhansk to Russia in exchange for Russian withdrawal from Sumy and Kharkiv.

Russian forces attempted a deep push near Dobropillia, aiming to isolate Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk, two vital logistical hubs, but Ukrainian troops successfully repelled this advance, maintaining control over Pokrovsk and securing supply lines.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine report that from August 4 to 16, as a result of combat operations on the front line, the Russian troops suffered losses of approximately 36,000 personnel, including 1,336 irrecoverable losses.

The heaviest losses were sustained by Russian forces in the following directions: Pokrovsk, Kurakhiv, Novopokrovsk, Petrykivka, Vesely, and Zolota Kolodiaz.

As per the Ukrainian army, Russia suffered significant personnel losses, including:

• Irrecoverable: 910 personnel
• Sanitary: 335 personnel
• Captured: 37 personnel

During the specified period, 8 tanks, 6 armored combat vehicles, 103 units of automotive and motorcycle equipment, 1 MLRS, 18 artillery pieces, and 91 UAVs of various types belonging to Russia were destroyed or damaged by Ukraine.

The success of the offensive has reportedly boosted Ukrainian morale and confidence in their defensive strategy.

Northern Front Advances​

Ukrainian forces have advanced approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in the northeastern part of Sumy Oblast, pushing Russian troops back and reclaiming contested territory.

This advance is seen as a notable tactical success, especially given the proximity to the Russian border and the historical vulnerability of Sumy to cross-border incursions.

The offensive disrupted Russian defensive positions and logistics, weakening their ability to reinforce or regroup in the region.

The 117th Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces played a key role, using Ukrainian-made 120mm mortars and coordinated infantry manoeuvres to dislodge Russian units.

Way Forward

Ukrainian General Staff stated that the operation was part of a broader effort to liberate settlements and destroy enemy positions in the north.

President Zelensky publicly praised the 1st Corps as well as several other units fighting in the Donetsk region.

“We are defending our positions along the entire front line. For the second day in a row, we have achieved successes in some extremely difficult areas in the Donetsk region.”

One notable trend highlighted by Ukrainian forces is the increasing number of Russian troops surrendering.

Units of Ukraine’s 19th Army Corps operating in Donetsk confirmed that six Russian soldiers gave themselves up in a single day.

Ukrainian officials argue that these surrenders reflect mounting exhaustion and declining morale among Russian assault units, which have faced high attrition in prolonged battles around Pokrovsk and neighboring settlements.

Prisoners, they say, are also a valuable source of intelligence on enemy movements and supply chains.

 

[Chadstroma]

Top Russian General Abachev critically wounded in daring Ukrainian strike​

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian column in the Kursk region overnight, leaving Russian General Abachev severely injured, reports the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"On the night of August 16-17, Ukrainian units inflicted fire damage on an enemy column on the Rylsk-Khomutovka highway in Russia's Kursk region," the report said.

Lieutenant General Abachev, Deputy Commander of the Russian Armed Forces' Sever (North) Group of Forces, suffered serious injuries in the strike.

"The injured officer was urgently flown by military transport aircraft to the Vishnevsky Central Military Clinical Hospital in Moscow. He lost an arm and a leg due to his injuries," the intelligence service added.

The Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stressed that there will be just retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people.

Earlier, in early July, the so-called "Hero of Russia" and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Mikhail Gudkov, was killed in the Kursk region.

The information was confirmed by Russia's Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako.

 

[Chadstroma]

Trump's envoy Witkoff: Russia offered 'concessions' on five Ukrainian regions​

The special envoy of the US president, Steve Witkoff, stated that Russia allegedly made concessions to Ukraine in the issue of the five regions. However, he could not provide any concrete information, according to CNN.

"The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions. The concessions that Russia agreed to make – not to occupy all of Ukraine," stated the special envoy of US President Donald Trump.

Witkoff also added that the USA, allegedly, sees from the side of Russia "moderation." Washington has supposedly already informed European leaders about the Kremlin’s proposals.

"The point was that we began to see some moderation in the way they’re thinking about getting to a final peace deal. That’s encouraging. Now we have to build on that, and we have to get a deal for the Ukrainians," he stated.

However, when Witkoff was asked what exactly this agreement represents, and whether it is actually the same "deal" that Putin proposed – withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas in exchange for simply a ceasefire – Witkoff became confused and stated that he does not have time to discuss this point.

It should be noted that on August 17, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, in Brussels, stated that any territorial issues must be discussed only by the leaders of the countries during a trilateral meeting. However, Russia has not yet demonstrated signs that it is ready for it.

As the media wrote that Putin appealed to the USA with a request regarding Ukraine. He wants Washington to recognize temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia. In addition, he allegedly proposed to freeze the front in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in exchange for cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas, and committed himself in writing to guarantee that he will not attack Ukraine or Europe.

 

[Chadstroma]

Ukraine claims battlefield success in Donetsk Oblast​

The Armed Forces of Ukraine has made gains in eastern Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff reported on Aug. 17.

The escalation in Donetsk Oblast follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aug. 15 meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska, which ended without a deal amid Putin's reported demand that Ukraine cede the entire oblast.

From Aug. 4 to 16, Ukrainian forces cleared Russian troops from several villages in Donetsk Oblast. The settlements retaken were Hruzke, Rubizhne, Novovodiane, Petrivka, Vesele, and Zolotyi Kolodiaz.

The General Staff said Russian forces suffered significant losses in the area, including 910 killed, 335 wounded, and 37 captured. Ukrainian troops also reported destroying or damaging eight Russian tanks, six armored fighting vehicles, more than 100 vehicles and motorcycles, one multiple launch rocket system, 18 artillery pieces, and 91 drones.

Stabilization operations continue around Dobropillia, a town in Donetsk, where fighting has intensified in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials said six Russian soldiers surrendered to Ukrainian units on Aug. 16.

Ukraine's 7th Air Assault Corps also reported clearing Russian positions in Pokrovsk, another key city in Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine also said its forces advanced up to one kilometer near Yablunivka in Sumy Oblast, along the northern border with Russia.

Ukraine's military confirmed earlier on Aug. 16 that Russian troops captured two villages in Donetsk Oblast — Popiv Yar, southwest of Dobropillia, and Ivano-Darivka, northeast of Sloviansk.

Russian units have intensified attacks near the settlements of Novyi Shakhove, Rodynske, Myroliubivka, Novoekonomichne, Novoukrainka and Zvirove, as well as pushing west of Vuhledar, according to Ukraine's Dnipro Group of Forces.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia is trying to reach the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast to strengthen its position in potential future talks.

Zelensky said on Aug. 16 that the situation in Donetsk Oblast remains "extremely difficult," noting that Ukrainian troops had carried out successful counterattacks around Dobropillia and Pokrovsk for a second consecutive day.

The fighting around Dobropillia has become one of the fiercest in recent months. Ukraine's General Staff said on Aug. 12 that Moscow had deployed more than 110,000 troops near Pokrovsk.

Monitoring group DeepState reported that Russian forces had advanced north toward the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway, though Ukrainian counterattacks have since recaptured some of that ground.

 

[Chadstroma]

Russia must accept Ukraine’s right to security guarantees and alliances - US Secretary of State​

Russia must come to terms with the fact that Ukraine, as a sovereign state, has the right to any security alliances it chooses to make at its own discretion. Similarly, the Kremlin must understand that Ukraine has the full right to security guarantees, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says to ABC News.

Rubio recalled that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly delivered speeches over several years of war in which he claimed much of Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine and its people do not agree with everything he says or wants.

"The second point I would make is, the President has said repeatedly, which it comes to territories and territorial claims, that’s ultimately something that Ukraine will have to decide. It’s their territory. It’s their country. Ultimately, what they’re willing to live with is what they’ll have to decide on,” the US Secretary of State noted.

Rubio revealed that the US does not yet know whether Ukrainians would agree to live while losing part of their territories to Russia. But what the US does know for sure is that Ukraine has repeatedly spoken about security guarantees that could protect it from another attack by Russia.

"They (Ukrainians - ed.) need to be able to enter into security guarantees that ensure that this is never going to happen again, that they’re not going to get reinvaded in two and a half or three years or four years or whenever it may be," the US Secretary of State explained.

Rubio added that Ukrainians want peace, the ability to live, and to rebuild their country.

"That’s a very reasonable request. That’s something we’re working on. And that’s something the Russian side has to understand, obviously, is that as a sovereign country, Ukraine has a right, like every sovereign country, to enter into security alliances and agreements with other countries," the US Secretary of State summarized.

Earlier, Rubio assured that Ukraine is not ready to give up its territories, and the US is not pressuring Kyiv to hand over all regions occupied by Russia. However, Rubio suggested that each side in an agreement must receive something and give something.

According to the US Secretary of State, there is only one way to end the war in Ukraine. It involves forcing the Russians to agree to a peace deal. This, he said, will be discussed in Washington on August 18.

 

[Chadstroma]

Trump to see Zelenskyy first, European leaders after, on Monday

https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/trump-zelenskyy-european-leaders-meeting/

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

The heart of European leadership - EC, NATO, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland - are traveling to DC to back Zelensky.

Politico.

 

[FarFromHome]

Zelensky gonna wear a gangster track suit this time? Ha ha

 

[GroveDiesel]

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5504196/trump-putin-summit-documents-left-behind

Papers with U.S. State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the Aug. 15 meetings between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage. Eight pages, that appear to have been produced by U.S. staff and left behind accidentally, shared precise locations and meeting times of the summit and phone numbers of U.S. government employees. At around 9 a.m. on Friday, three guests at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage where leaders from the U.S. and Russia convened, found the documents left behind in one of the hotel's public printers.

Why in the world are they printing that kind of stuff to public hotel printers in the first place?!

 

[Joe Schmo]

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5504196/trump-putin-summit-documents-left-behind

Papers with U.S. State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the Aug. 15 meetings between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage. Eight pages, that appear to have been produced by U.S. staff and left behind accidentally, shared precise locations and meeting times of the summit and phone numbers of U.S. government employees. At around 9 a.m. on Friday, three guests at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage where leaders from the U.S. and Russia convened, found the documents left behind in one of the hotel's public printers.

Why in the world are they printing that kind of stuff to public hotel printers in the first place?!

Should of used kinko's

 

[Don't Toews Me]

Germany likely too stretched to provide troops for Ukraine, foreign minister says

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that his country can play an important role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, but that Berlin likely doesn't have the capacity to send troops to the embattled country.

“We are the only European troop contributor to station a combat-ready brigade in Lithuania. Doing that and also stationing troops in Ukraine would probably be too much for us,” Wadephul told the Table Today Podcast on Monday, adding that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will look into the matter.

Russia pounds Ukraine as Zelensky, Europe backers prepare to meet with Trump

Russia renewed its missile attacks against Ukraine overnight as embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared, alongside European leaders, for a White House meeting Monday that could decide the fate of his nation.
Russia launched ballistic missiles and 140 attack drones against Ukraine, killing at least seven people in Kharkiv, including an entire family, including two children and a grandmother. Russian strikes on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed three others, including a child, and wounded at least 20 more.

https://x.com/shashj/status/1957378486286315819

"A recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 78 percent of Ukrainians were against transferring territory controlled by Ukraine to Russia."

https://x.com/BalazsJarabik/status/1957323985592398139

1/ I’m in Kyiv these days, and here are some impressions on the possible end of the war. Expectations are muted, information scarce, speculation abundant.
3/ Most people would welcome an end to the war — but not at the price of major sacrifices such as giving up Donbas. This ambivalence has shaped the public mood for ~1.5 years: war fatigue, but no surrender.
4/ A withdrawal from "Krama" - Kramatorsk is Donetsk’s regional capital since 2015 — would be seen as capitulation. Ukraine may be losing ground in the war of attrition, but it has not lost the war itself.
6/ On the battlefield, Ukraine contained Russia’s push around Pokrovsk — but only with heavy reinforcements, giving Moscow space elsewhere. The pattern holds: Russia is slowly gaining the upper hand. Kyiv’s security officials know the current status quo cannot last.

https://x.com/Hromadske/status/1957378437162680770

Russian troops are focusing on the Pokrovsk front, advancing due to terrain, and redeploying units to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told RBC-Ukraine.

https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1957190502056349987

Ukraine has revealed its newest long range cruise missile, currently known as the Flamingo. The missile is reportedly able to carry a sizeable warhead (~1 ton) out to a range of 3000 km, threatening all of Russia west of Omsk.

Ukrainian sniper claims longest shot record with hit from 2.5 miles

A sniper from Ukraine’s “Ghost” unit has set a world record for the longest confirmed sniper hit, killing two Russian soldiers with a single bullet from a distance of 2.5 miles.
The shot was fired on the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad defensive line in the Donetsk region, where some of the fiercest fighting has raged over the past few weeks.
Video posted to Telegram by the military journalist Yuri Butusov showed a sniper with his face blurred shooting several times at long range before a white flash indicated that he had hit his mark.
Butusov wrote on Telegram that the bullet had “passed through the window which the occupiers were behind”, and praised the marksman for his “incredible accuracy”, crediting him with a new world record.
The shot on August 14 was made with the domestically produced Snipex Alligator rifle, and was supported by artificial intelligence working in tandem with a drone reconnaissance complex.
Weighing 25kg, the Alligator rifle is magazine-fed, with 14.5mm calibre bullets, a 1,200mm barrel and a muzzle velocity that approaches 1,000 metres per second.
It was originally designed as an anti-materiel rifle for use against military equipment and other hardware, but Ukraine’s equipment shortages can require that weapons serve multiple roles.
In 2021, manufacturers claimed the effective range of the Alligator was about 1.25 miles, though analysts say its bullets can travel up to 4.3 miles, with accuracy becoming an obstacle at longer distances.
The sniper belonged to the elite “Pryvyd” — or “Ghost” — unit, which is a composite sniper detachment comprising eight platoons from Ukraine’s ground forces. It claims to have eliminated almost 1,000 Russian soldiers in the sector over the past year.
The previous record also belonged to a Ukrainian, Vyacheslav Kovalsky, 58, who shot a Russian soldier dead from a distance of 2.36 miles with a custom rifle named “Lord of the Horizon” in 2023.