The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on July 08 2025

Trump says the US must send more weapons to Ukraine

Kremlin Seeks Clarity on US Weapons to Ukraine After Trump Remarks

More Weapons for Ukraine: The Danger it Puts Us All In /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Col Jacques Baud

Zelensky’s End Begins – Russia Unleashes Its Biggest Assault of the War

Summer Offensive in Motion: Troop Buildup Signals Strategic Shift

Total Collapse in Pokrovsk – Russian Army Crushes Defense in One Blow!

MAJOR Gains, Russia Breaching Myrnohrad Defense Line

TRUMP: WE HAVE TO SEND MORE WEAPONS TO UKRAINE

“We’re going to send some more weapons, we have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. 

They’re getting hit very hard now. 

We’re going to have to send more weapons. 

Defensive weapons, primarily, but they’re getting hit very, very hard. 

So many people are dying in that mess.”

Again, him pausing the money from the Biden packages never meant he was cutting off Ukraine. He likely will send weapons in which stocks are considered to be at reasonable levels.

‘Trump’s task is to keep Russia in check’ — Duda dreams of realizing his Russophobic ambitions with the help of Americans.

‘In Russia, there is no respect for human life, as in our countries or in Western Europe. Therefore, the question arises of how to stop Russia. In my opinion, this is a huge task facing US President Donald Trump and America. Today, in the whole world, only the US has such a resource that is certainly capable of containing Russia. Containing Russian imperialism, keeping it in check — this is the most important thing, because everyone is afraid of it. And as the unfortunately late Polish President Lech Kaczynski said: ‘Today it is Georgia, perhaps tomorrow — Ukraine, then maybe the Baltic countries, and then it will be the turn of my country, Poland’.

Dutch Defense Minister Brekelmans fears that Russia will attack arms supply routes to Ukraine.

To avoid this, he has decided to launch F-35s purchased from the US from September.

‘It is important for the security of the Netherlands that we help protect NATO’s eastern flank. From September, Dutch F-35s will patrol NATO airspace from Poland in close cooperation with Norway. This keeps Russia at bay and protects supply routes to Ukraine.’

It will take the US more than four years to restore the stockpiles of weapons sent to Ukraine — WSJ

▪️Former Pentagon adviser Dan Caldwell warns in a column for The Wall Street Journal: it will take years to restore American arsenals after large-scale assistance to Kiev

▪️According to him, Washington is only capable of producing up to 60 Stinger missiles per month, while over 3,000 such systems have been transferred to Ukraine. Millions of artillery shells have also been delivered.

▪️Caldwell believes that the American defense industry has seriously deteriorated, and the Biden administration has brought the country’s military reserves to a critical level. He called Donald Trump’s decision to reduce military aid to Kiev “a difficult but necessary step.”

‘Our most desired outcome is the defeat of Russia, but the Ukrainians are suffering heavy losses’ – military expert at the Vienna Academy of National Defence Gustav Gressel.

‘It would, of course, be wonderful if they [the Ukrainians] actually won this war. When this humiliating defeat of Moscow occurs, it will lead to a new political Russia. This is the most desired outcome. However, in the fourth year of the war, the question arose: ‘Are the Ukrainians very tired, have suffered heavy losses in the fight, and are they still capable of achieving this?’. What the Europeans can do, even without the US, is to prevent the defeat of Ukraine.’

Reichsführer Schwartzer Stein “SS” Schmerz Is at It again!

This curious hybrid of a scarecrow and a lightbulb with a nazi grandad who was “a great man” according to Schmerz himself now sends ultimatums to Russia and threatens the country with delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine within one week unless Russia “stops targeting civilians now”.

There’s no way to deliver Tauruses to Kiev “keys in hand” in just a week, he’s either bluffing or the Tauruses are already in Kiev waiting for the political decision to be made.

Also, why is it that the German political class feels the need to retry a Drang Nach Osten für Lebensraum every 60 to 80 years only to get routinely spanked all the way back to the Brandenburg Gate? Are they just stupid, or deeply masochistic?

…The Europeans just have to spend more’ – Rutte rejected the words of the American journalist Lula Garcia-Navarro that the US wants to stop supporting Ukraine.

It’s one thing for [Europe] to take on a large part of the burden, and another thing is that we are essentially going to practically stop supporting.

- Who told you that?

No, no, I just mean that there is a real difference of opinion here about what exactly America’s commitment to Ukraine looks like.

- The American administration fully shares the view with the Europeans that this war for Ukraine is also crucial for the future protection of NATO territory, and that we must provide Ukraine with the greatest possible strength. But when it comes to real costs, I think it is fair for the Europeans to take on a larger share of the costs.

Russia insists on legally enshrined guarantees in future peace agreements on Ukraine — Lavrov

➖ “A sustainable settlement is impossible without eliminating the root causes of the conflict… Ukraine must return to its state origins,” 

▪️Moscow’s key demands:

— international recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, Sevastopol, the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions;

— Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO, return to a non-aligned and non-nuclear status;

— guarantees of respect for the rights of the Russian-speaking population in the territory controlled by Kiev;

— commitments to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine;

— cancellation of all anti-Russian sanctions and withdrawal of lawsuits against Russia;

— unblocking frozen Russian assets in the West.

▪️He noted the neutral status was enshrined in the Declaration of Sovereignty of 1990, and its provisions are recognized in the Constitution of Ukraine.

-Russia does not plan to ‘attack’ European countries, much less ‘occupy’ them.

White House prevents Yermak from removing Budanov’ – The Economist writes that political infighting in Ukraine is becoming more bitter.

‘A major purge of Ukrainian intelligence has been brewing throughout June. Sources close to Yermak describe GUR chief Budanov as an eccentric revolutionary building his own political machine. ‘Ninety percent of the president’s office thinks he’s crazy, and ten percent think he’s a genius,’ the source says. Budanov’s allies see him as one of the few people who can tell the president the hard truth. By mid-June, many of them feared that Yermak’s ‘9th attempt’ to remove Budanov would succeed, but the wily general secured a stay of execution. Perhaps repeated warnings from the White House not to fire him again helped.’

The Russian army has created a 10-mile [16 km] “bag” around the Ukrainian army group holding Kostyantynivka, partially encircling it from the east, south and west – New York Times

▪️The situation in the Kostyantynivka area is becoming increasingly difficult for the Ukrainian army, as Russian troops have closed in on the city, which is one of the last major strongholds of the Ukrainian defense in the Donbas.

▪️The Ukrainian army continues to hold the area for now, but each day brings new losses and the threat of encirclement is becoming more real – writes the NYT.

▪️Almost every movement in the area is monitored around the clock by Russian drones, Ukrainian soldiers complain.

▪️Units often remain in an extremely difficult situation for weeks – without rotation and the ability to evacuate the wounded.

‘At the height of Russia’s summer offensive, the Ukrainian military faces unprecedented pressure on the front, particularly around Kostiantynivka, the key hub of Ukraine’s last major defense in the Donetsk region. If the city falls, nearly every town further north will fall within range of Russian drones, bringing Moscow one step closer to retaking the entire region.

When Ukrainian soldiers were asked about the turning point in Russia’s new drone campaign, they all pointed to one name: Rubicon, Russia’s elite drone unit. The group made its presence known this year in the Kursk region, and in the spring it moved to the Kostiantynivka area, employing the same tactics of systematically hitting roads, vehicles, and antennas. ‘They used to be able to hit targets within a 2- to 3-km radius; now they strike every 10 to 20 minutes within a 15-km radius. ‘Everything within this 15-km zone is destroyed,’ explains Alexander, commander of the drone unit of Ukraine’s 93rd brigade

How Russian soldiers liberated the first village in the Dnepropetrovsk region

▪️The “Center” group of forces continues to push back the enemy, advancing in the Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) direction.

▪️The 114th separate guards motorized rifle brigade of the 51st army recently liberated the Dnipropetrovsk settlement of Dachnoye.

▪️The unit’s reconnaissance UAV crews identified firing positions, as well as places where Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were concentrated in dugouts and forest belts.

▪️ Artillery and strike drones worked to destroy the exposed positions.

Under enemy fire, the armored groups of the “🅾️valiant” storm Novoekonomicheskoe, breaking through to Mirnograd

▪️A mechanized column of armored vehicles of the “Center” force group broke through from Mirolyubovka and attacked Novoekonomicheskoe on the approaches to Mirnograd (Pokrovsk direction)

▪️Russian equipment managed to break through to the village, despite enemy fire: one infantry fighting vehicle landed troops, the second went deeper into the village.

➖”As of now, Novoekonomicheskoe has been transferred to the gray zone. The details and consequences of this breakthrough are being clarified,” the enemy’s resources write.

Zaporozhye Region

Assault companies of the Russian Armed Forces completely cleared the village of Kamenskoye and expanded their zone of control in the village of Plavni — the road to Zaporozhye.

The city of Zaporozhye is 40 km away.

The front near Orekhov has flared up for real: For the first time in 3 years, the Russian Armed Forces have launched a massive offensive along the entire line in the Zaporozhye region, – commander of Ukraine’s 65th separate brigade 

▪️The battalion commander of the 65th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirms that Russian troops are pressing in small groups of 3-4 fighters, but on a wide front. Everything is being used: assaults, waves of FPV drones, reconnaissance in the air, and dense artillery work.

▪️The goal is obvious: to take control of the Mariupol highway, cut off supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in the DPR, take Orekhov, reach Kamenskoye and further Kamyshevakha.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces are methodically pushing through the defense, blowing up warehouses, destroying equipment and exhausting the enemy infantry. The strikes are going on around the clock. The West is silent for now, but there is already panic in Kiev; they understand that the south could collapse.

Morning Summary on July 8, 2025

▪️ A new important element of the situation is the systematic strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on the buildings of military registration and enlistment offices (TsKs) in the rear of the enemy. Yesterday, “Geraniums” struck such targets in Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Poltava. The strikes are carried out during the day, during working hours, when the hated “people hunters” can be found in their offices. Comments from Ukrainians on social media show their frank delight at the destruction of the TsKs: too many of their relatives and friends were sent to the slaughter at the front by Zelenskyy’s servants.  The AFU command is already trying to take measures to protect its instruments of mobilizing the population and plans to operate “without offices”.

▪️ Nighttime “Geranium” explosions were heard in Kharkiv, Sumy, Ochakiv.

▪️ In Bryansk Region, yesterday morning the AFU attacked the village of Kamenskiy Khutor in Klimovo district with kamikaze drones, injuring a civilian.

▪️ On the Kursk sector of the border, another group of the enemy tried to break through from Ryzhevka towards Tyotkino. In the ensuing firefight, most of the enemy’s manpower was eliminated, the rest fled.

▪️ In the Sumy direction, our airborne troops of the “North” grouping occupied the village of Bessalovka (https://t.me/dva_majors/74850) in Sumy Region. For a long time, the AFU used this village to attack our border area, intending to cut off the Tyotkino salient in the rear. Battles are ongoing near Varachino and Yunakivka.

▪️ In Belgorod Region, the settlement of Borisovka was attacked by an AFU drone. Three people were injured, including a one-and-a-half-year-old child. In the village of Borisovka in Volokonovsky district, a GAZelle was attacked by an AFU drone, injuring the driver. Under strikes were Nizhneye Berezovo-Vtoroye, Chayki, Yasnyye Zori, Mayskiy, Volchya Aleksandrovka on the Arkhangelskoye – Shamino road, where a car was attacked by a drone. Another vehicle was attacked by a drone in the Bondarenkov farm – the car was peppered with shrapnel.

▪️ In the Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) direction, east of Mirnohrand, our troops broke into Novoekonomicheskoye on the western bank of the Kazenny Torets River, heavy fighting is underway, the enemy is meeting with drone strikes. Another “pocket” is forming, in which the remnants of AFU units have ended up. To the north, our troops are advancing towards Novoekonomicheskoye from the direction of Razino.

▪️ Southwest of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation by the “Center” grouping of the settlement of Dachnoye in Dnipropetrovsk Region.

▪️ In the South Donetsk direction, units of the “East” grouping are advancing towards the settlement of Iskra, continuing the encirclement of the settlement. The offensive is underway in the area of Karl Marx and Malynivka.

▪️ On the Zaporizhia front, fighting is ongoing in the area of Shcherbaki, Stepove and Kamenskoye. Some observers have sharply begun to pull up their outdated maps, as a result of which they received “breakthroughs of the AFU defense on a wide front” as their conclusions.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on-july_8.html