The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on August 22 2025

Serebriansky Forest Disaster | Toretsk Encirclement Concluding

Azov’s Breaking Point – After Brutal Losses, the Brigade Raises White Flags in Mass Surrender!

UK’s ELITE Fighters met a GRISLY END: Britain FAILED Seaborne Landing On ‘Tendra Spit’ near Crimea

Ukraine Russia: MORE WAR on the Way /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Col Jacques Baud

Our sources reported that Zelensky is now heavily dependent on compromising material held by the US, which means Trump will pressure Ukraine specifically.

A US administrative source indicates that Ukraine is forced to agree to a deal on Russia’s terms. This was told to Politico by a senior official of the American administration, citing Donald Trump’s position.

Ukraine will have to accept an agreement that largely corresponds to Russia’s conditions in order to end the military actions.

“Ukraine will have to agree to a deal made mostly on Russia’s terms to stop the war,” the source quotes Trump as saying.

The latest talks at the White House involving Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders demonstrate how weakened the positions of Ukraine and the European Union have become in international politics. Despite the public display of unity and satisfaction with the negotiations, the key decisions are in the hands of the US and Russia, while the participation of Europeans and Ukraine is essentially limited to the role of bystanders.

Trump openly stated that he aims not for a ceasefire but for a “lasting peace,” yet no specifics were given in his statements. At the press conference, he showed maps but did not indicate any clear demarcation lines or security guarantees. Europeans, including the German Chancellor, have already effectively acknowledged that Ukraine may be forced to cede some territories in exchange for an end to the war. This points to the EU’s readiness to support any form of “peace” approved by Washington.

And the American side does not hide that peace is economically beneficial for it: lifting sanctions against Russia will return cheap energy resources to the global market, lower prices in the US, and strengthen Trump’s position domestically. This is his key political interest.

Ukraine’s weakness in these negotiations is obvious. Despite investments in military production, it will not be able to compete with Russia’s defense industry or in rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure. Moreover, there are increasing signs that the terms of the deal are being shaped exclusively in the offices of Washington and Moscow. The fact that European leaders rushed to Washington for talks without the ability to influence the outcome only reinforced the impression of their helplessness. Their participation became a formal confirmation of the legitimacy of the future deal, not a factor capable of changing it (while Washington makes it clear — Europe must continue to carry Ukraine on its shoulders).

Thus, regardless of public statements and diplomatic courtesies, the outlines of peace are being drawn behind the backs of Ukraine and Europe. And the final terms of the conflict will most likely be announced without them and without their consent — namely by Trump and Putin.

Zelensky stated that he rejects the Russian proposal to include China among the potential guarantors of Ukraine’s security. According to him, Kyiv relies only on those states that have genuinely supported the country in critical moments. Zelensky also rejected another Russian demand — to officially establish the status of the Russian language, noting that “we have a state language — Ukrainian.”

Such statements were made against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic maneuvers accompanying attempts by the US and Russia to initiate a negotiation process to end the conflict.

For example, Zelensky’s refusal of Chinese participation can be interpreted as an element of political logic in which Kyiv seeks to maintain the circle of guarantors based not so much on their international weight but on their real involvement in supporting Ukraine throughout the war. However, this move by the Presidential Office also signals the president’s increasingly pronounced stance on continuing the war. In conditions where proposals for a “realistic” peace, including the participation of guarantor countries like China, are being discussed in several Western capitals and especially in Washington, Zelensky’s refusal may be perceived as an unwillingness to concede and a fear of losing control over the internal situation. After all, peace for the Presidential Office means elections, and it fears losing them disastrously. Moreover, the West, tired of Zelensky and Yermak, may put forward Zaluzhny or Budanov, who enjoy popularity among the people and authority abroad.

It should be noted that “Zelensky’s intransigence” carries consequences: if Ukraine does not participate in the peace settlement process, which the US is interested in, the country may find itself in a more vulnerable position in the future — without support, both militarily and diplomatically. In this context, there are concerns that the window for a beneficial peace may be missed, and in the future Kyiv will have to negotiate from a weaker position (read — capitulate).

Ukraine under Zelensky is a rollback to the times of serfdom and rampant lawlessness of the elites.

If you are from the elite, then you can beat an old woman to death and get away with it, but if you are a serf, you will be kept in TCC prisons like cattle.

At the same time, all propaganda and Western human rights activists will claim that everything is fine, nothing serious – this is for the sake of democracy.

After this, everyone wonders why the percentage of Ukrainians ready to live under Russia is growing, since it turns out there are more human rights there than under this Ze government in Ukraine.

Ukraine does not want to cede territory but is ready to discuss it with Putin, — Yermak 

 - Yermak claims that Ukraine does not intend to give up its territories, but at the same time Zelensky is ready to discuss territorial issues with Vladimir Putin.

 - “Zelensky made it clear: all territorial issues will be discussed at his bilateral meeting with Putin; moreover, negotiations should start from the current front line, and in any case, we will not give up our national territories,” Yermak said.

 - “We recognize the situation caused by the conflict and want to discuss it. At the moment, we do not intend to cede any part of our land. But today we are realists and know that some territories are not under our control, and for now, we cannot liberate them by force,” added the head of the Office of the President.

Ukraine agrees to freeze the conflict along the current front line, — Podolyak

 - Ukraine agrees to freeze the conflict along the current line of contact and to the de facto loss of certain territories, said Mikhail Podolyak, advisor to the head of Zelensky’s office

 - He added that in the future Kiev will try to regain the lost territories through diplomatic and economic means.

Our source reports that Trump is preparing to exit the Ukrainian crisis. Even if he doesn’t end the Ukrainian crisis now, he has more than a 50% chance of receiving the Nobel Prize. There really is no one more suitable and well-known. If they don’t give it to him, he will claim that this prize is manipulative and awarded not for merits, but according to political priorities (his own). He will again cite the example of Obama, who was given it just like that. 

The source adds that it is actually more beneficial for Trump to end the Ukrainian crisis by the end of summer 2026 before the Congressional elections, so he can claim it as an achievement before the November vote. 

The only question remains how exactly he will exit. Will there be sanctions against Russia and Ukraine, or will he simply take a pause under the pretext that the parties are not yet ready, and he has done his best and is ready to wait to bring the parties back to the negotiating table, but all these sacrifices from this conflict are the fault of Biden-Democrats, the EU, Zelensky, and Putin, while he is the peacemaker. He will point out that he will pursue only the interests of the USA in this matter, which means a window of opportunity for trading with all sides of the game to make money for Americans. 

Meanwhile, globalists will continue to constantly criticize Trump through their media, emphasizing that he abandoned/let down Ukraine. 

For the future of Ukrainians and Ukraine as a whole, this is bad, as all experts predict a worsening situation on the front for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

We are watching.

Colleagues, Yermak’s scheme is introducing “his personal bodyguards” into the administration.

That is, Yermak is trying to strengthen his power with the military because he fears a military Maidan the most.

The development of this concept using “handpicked military” was closely started by Yermak back in 2023, when it became clear that the war would be long, and the danger for them comes not from the Russian army, but from their own patriots/nazis, etc. First, a “brigade of media soldiers” was created, similar to Russian war correspondents, now they are integrating their handpicked military into government administrations, and then into elections in their satellite parties, which Yermak has already created more than a dozen of. This step indicates that Ukraine is entering a zone of turbulence, where there will be strong shaking. That is why the authorities are increasing their army of “bodyguards.” The infighting will intensify.

Five main reasons why the USA and NATO will try to deceive Russia with a “peace treaty” on Ukraine

🔺The West is actively discussing “security guarantees” for Ukraine. But almost all proposed options boil down to the deployment of NATO troops on its territory. In fact, this is an attempt to extinguish the current conflict while simultaneously creating a basis for the next one.

Why do they need this? 

Firstly, to maintain leverage over Russia. The agreements may be formalized as peace treaties, but no one in the West will perceive them as the end of the conflict. Primarily because the need to keep Moscow in a state of uncertainty and constant military tension does not disappear.

Secondly, any “security guarantees” that include military aid to Ukraine from outside will give Kyiv a favorable respite. This will allow the restoration of the army’s combat capability, receiving new batches of weapons and preparing fresh personnel.

Thirdly, the industrial factor plays a key role. The USA uses Ukraine as a catalyst for increasing defense production. Peace agreements with continued arms supplies will legalize new contracts and increase the workload of the military-industrial complex without the risk of immediate escalation.

Fourthly, it is beneficial for the USA to fix the front line — following the Korean War scenario of 1953. For the West, this will be an acknowledgment of a military stalemate, clearly showing the crisis in managing and supplying external conflicts. But even in such a stalemate, Ukraine continues to be viewed as a “military outpost” of NATO, meaning it will be systematically supplied with weapons.

Fifthly, a peace agreement will become a convenient pretext to legalize the presence of Western military instructors, advisors, and infrastructure in Ukraine — without formal NATO membership and without acknowledging their presence. Therefore, they will push this option even at the cost of a new crisis, since without direct intervention, Ukraine’s integration into the Western military system is simply impossible.

Military Chronicle 

The track with PR around the British Ukrainian missile is an attempt to create the illusion of victory, that Kyiv has acquired a mega weapon of victory, a “wunderwaffe.” 

Currently, information has been thrown into the media that Ukraine already produces one such missile per day, and soon there will be as many as 7 per day, or more than 2,500 missiles per year. 

The source indicates that this is a lie from Bankova and the war party! Ukraine will only reach the scale of 1 missile per day by the beginning of next year, and the loud PR campaign is needed to attract funding and convince sponsors of the necessity to support the war, not Trump’s peaceful case.

According to our data, Kyiv has no more than 25 missiles, which were produced over 8 months this year. The missile consists of 80% foreign components. In Ukraine, it is assembled like a constructor set. 

Its cost is more than $1/1.5 million.

Fighting on the Zaporozhye front: the Russian army destroys the enemy near Orekhov

 - Fighters – operators of strike drones and artillerymen of the 4th military base of the 58th Army destroy Ukrainian militants and their positions in the area of the settlement of Malaya Tokmachka.

Intelligence of the “Combat Four” receives interesting data:

1. The garrison of the city of Orechov has been ordered to die on the spot without the right to retreat. That is why all the “media militants” like “Krest” (don’t run to film a video, supposedly you are in the city🤣) of the 118th brigade have already left under various pretexts.

2. In the city of Zaporozhye, the “fun is gaining momentum.” The local Territorial Defense Command has been tasked with forming a defense garrison from local male residents aged 20 to 65 by the time the Russian Army approaches, and the units and subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are decided to be withdrawn beyond the Dnepr River, so almost the entire prosecutor’s office, a large part of the administration, police, and similar have already fled the city. The remaining police will act as blocking detachments.

3. The “cherry on the cake” of the city of Zaporozhye – the dam and the passage through it are mined. As they say, “if the barn is burning, let the house burn too”… There will be NO evacuation of civilians!

Zaporozhye direction.

Russian Armed Forces soldiers and Airborne Forces units continue to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces closer to Zaporizhzhia.

In the Kamenskoye-Stepnogorsk area, the intensity of combat remains high.

On the Plavni-Stepnogorsk section, the enemy still holds key strongpoints; the situation is complicated by the terrain and dense construction near Stepnogorsk.

There is high enemy drone activity of all types in the sky, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces launch as far as Melitopol.

On the section east of Huliaipole, our soldiers are breaking through the enemy defence on the  Malinovka-Olkhovskoe line; thus, the Ukrainian Armed Forces group is already under attack by our troops.

According to incoming information, Russian units have managed to regain control over the northern encirclement near Pokrovsk

In particular, this concerns positions near Shakhovo and Zolotoy Kolodez, which for a short time were in the “grey zone”. 

The actions of the Ukrainian side were accompanied by the transfer of reserves and active use of artillery, but strikes by FAB bombs from UMPC and FPV drones significantly limited their ability. 

Russian units are consolidating at key points, which allows for quickly restoring the uniformity of the front line from the side where the offensive initially developed. An important point is that holding the northern encirclement opens the move to the second phase of the offensive.

The next step will be control over the road towards Sloviansk and Kramatorsk from the Pokrovsk district. Cutting off the road will hamper the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reduce rotation and supply of units, and create a chance for further splitting of the front.

Druzhkovka direction

Despite the enemy’s introduced reserves and their “victorious” reports, the situation remains difficult and ambiguous for them.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves managed to slightly push back our units in the area of Zolotoy Kolodez — Rubizhne. But the enemy did not achieve a decisive success, despite the “bubbles of snot”. In the eastern part of Zolotoy Kolodez, the Russian Armed Forces regained and hold positions, continuing battles for the village. Moreover, as previously reported, our units have again secured the southern part of Vesyoloye, having first taken the Viklechnaya ravine and advanced on the line Vesyoloye — Zolotoy Kolodez towards Petrovka.

The enemy is pressing south of Nikanorovka and Oktyabrskoye (Shakhovo), trying to “cut off” our wedge into their defensive lines north along the line Dorozhnoye — Nikanorovka — Mayak — Shakhovo.

However, the reserves introduced into battle on our side have already prevented them from achieving this goal. Our units pushed back the counterattacking Ukrainian units and are gradually regaining previously lost positions and expanding the corridor.

Fierce counter battles with a growing advantage in our favor. The enemy, who tried to reach Mayak, was driven from occupied positions and pushed north towards Oktyabrskoye (Shakhovo).

Fierce counter battles in the area of Volnoye — Rosa Luxemburg (Novoye Shakhovo).

As already reported, our units expelled the enemy from Pankovka and are fighting in the northern part of Vladimirovka.

Adjacent units are attacking and advancing towards Oktyabrskoye (Shakhovo) and Artyomovka (Sofievka) east and northeast, creating a flank threat to the enemy and drawing part of their reserves intended to eliminate our troops’ wedge in the area of Kucherov Yar and Vesyoloye.

Situation in the Kupiansk direction:

Bogatyrs from the RUAF are expanding the zone of control and breaking through the enemy’s defenses.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are attempting counterattacks with small groups: from Petropavlivka, they are trying to move north, hiding in the forests. However, Russian drone operators quickly detect and destroy them.

In Kupiansk itself, there are no significant changes, fierce fighting continues for Moskovka. The Ukrainian side has carefully prepared the city for defense: the basements of buildings are connected by trenches, new fortifications and strongpoints have been built. The enemy regularly builds crossings over the river: Russian forces destroy them, but after a few days the Ukrainian Armed Forces try again to erect embankments.

Fighting also continues in Stepova Novoselivka. So far, there has been no significant progress, but work continues to exhaust the enemy’s reserves and destroy its fighting force.

The Russian Aerospace Forces support the offensive: Command and deployment points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed in Mirnograd and Artemovka

▪️The Russian Aerospace Forces delivered powerful strikes using FAB-3000 and FAB-500 glide bomb and Kh-39 missiles on targets in the enemy’s rear.

Destroyed:

▪️Temporary deployment point of the 15th Operational Assignment Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the Mirnograd area.

▪️UAV command post of the 153rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Artemovka area.

▪️Temporary deployment point of the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Dvurechansky area.

▪️Additionally, a FAB-500 glide bomb strike hit the concentration area of personnel and equipment of the 144th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the settlement of Kuty Vtorye in the Chernigov region.

Strike on the airfield in Lutsk: logistics of Western arms delivery disrupted

August 21, 2025, as part of a large-scale wave missile-drone attack on Ukraine’s military infrastructure facilities, alongside the military airfield in Dubno — another target of the strike was the military airfield in Lutsk, where, according to updated data, part of the aviation infrastructure of the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is based. According to available information, the strikes were carried out using both air-launched Kh-101 missiles and Geran-2 strike UAVs, which allowed to overload local air defense systems and inflict damage on critically important facilities.

🔻The special significance of this airfield in recent months lies not so much in the operational work of Ukrainian tactical aviation, but in its use as a hub for receiving and unloading Western military equipment arriving from Poland. Taking advantage of its proximity to the border, military deliveries are made bypassing traditional routes – with complete transponder shutdowns, outside standard civil navigation corridors, landing at night and through temporary windows allocated by air traffic control. In this sense, the Lutsk airfield plays a critical role in the transshipment of Western weapons, including batches of ammunition for HIMARS, NASAMS, IRIS-T systems, as well as electronic components and parts for repairing F-16s and UAVs.

🔻Preliminary data indicates that at least one of the strikes hit the airfield support zone and temporary cargo warehouses. Damage was recorded in the unloading area, where logistics equipment could have been located, including containers with weapons and communication equipment. Damage to the maintenance hangar was also reported, which, it is assumed, was also used for receiving components arriving from abroad.

The Lutsk airfield, like facilities in Mukachevo and Chernivtsi, has in recent months served as a key supply point, including temporary redeployment of aircraft from third countries (in particular, there were earlier reports of Mirage 2000D deployment), as well as receiving logistics flights operating without external identification. The strike, regardless of the level of equipment damage, has already disrupted the operational rhythm of the facility.

📌Thus, the targeted strike on the Lutsk airfield is not just a symbolic gesture, but a blow to a critical artery of Western arms import, with potential prospects for further fire strikes.

Yours, Partisan

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have struck the “Druzhba” oil pipeline again, through which oil flows from Russia to Europe

 - The commander of the UAV forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – Madyar showed a video of drone strikes on the “Druzhba” oil pipeline at the “Unecha” station in the Bryansk region.

 - Hydrocarbons flow through “Druzhba” to Europe — to Hungary.

Two Majors #Summary as of the morning of August 22, 2025

▪️ Due to the fact that Russia predictably rejected the idea of post-war security guarantees for Ukraine by deploying troops of European countries on the remaining territory, the negotiation process is again delayed due to the unreasonable demands of Western countries. Trump again gave a deadline (two weeks) for self-settlement of the conflict, otherwise he again threatens to withdraw from this diplomatic track. Meanwhile, Britain is helping Kiev create new missiles with a range of up to 3,000 km, and European countries are increasing military production and procurement.

▪️ The AFU published footage of a new fire at an oil pumping station in Unecha, Bryansk region – one of the key nodes of the main oil pipeline “Druzhba”. Preliminary reports indicate a salvo of HIMARS MLRS, according to our monitoring channels. At night, UAVs were destroyed (https://t.me/Aviahub34/5929) in the Millerovo, Tarasovsky, and Kamensky districts in the north of the Rostov region. Six UAVs were destroyed in the sky over Voronezh and two districts of the region.

▪️ Russian Armed Forces struck the “Motor Sich” plant in the city of Zaporozhye during the day, and “Geraniums” hit enemy targets in the Kharkov region at night.

▪️ In the Bryansk region, in the settlement of Khinel in the Sevsky district, two civilians were injured as a result of a strike by Ukrainian FPV drones on a civilian vehicle.

▪️ On the Sumy direction, with heavy fighting, Russian Airborne Assault groups are advancing deeper into Yunakovka. The total advance over the day was up to 400 meters.

▪️ On the Belgorod-Kharkiv border, on the Melovoe-Khatneye front line section, our units are advancing towards Khatneye with the support of Russian aviation and tactical missile systems. The total advance was up to 800 meters.

▪️ In the Belgorod region, in the Belgorod district, in the village of Bochkovka, a man received a shrapnel wound to the shoulder due to a drone detonation at a private house. The city of Novy Oskol was attacked by an enemy drone, three were injured. Two more were injured as a result of drone attacks on apartment buildings in Grayvoron. Another drone struck a cargo vehicle near Grayvoron. A man with barotrauma was transported to the Borisov Central Regional Hospital. The enemy circulated low-quality “deepfakes” online allegedly showing videos of our officials reporting a “breach of the border by small groups of the AFU.”

▪️ On the Konstantinovka direction, the Russian MoD reported the liberation of the settlement of Aleksandro-Shultino in the DPR, which again caused confusion: who is “feeding” the high commands with not quite accurate information. The footage published by the media after the MoD statement also had little to do with that particular area.

▪️ In the Dnipropetrovsk region, our troops are operating north of Maliivka, with ongoing counter-battles.

▪️ On the Zaporozhye direction, the enemy acknowledges our advance northwest of Temyrivka and towards Uspenivka.

▪️ In the Kherson region, mutual shelling across the Dnieper River continues; on our side, two civilians were killed in the villages of Nova Zburyivka and Nova Kakhovka, and four more were injured. The towns of Hola Prystan, Kakhovka, Velyki Kopani, Dobrosillia, Kozhemyaky, Mala and Velyka Kardashynka, Nova Mayachka, Rybalche, and Stara Zburyivka were shelled.

▪️ In the DPR, two people died yesterday, and 21 civilians in Yenakiieve were injured today as a result of a combined attack by a high-precision long-range M30A1 (shrapnel) missile from HIMARS MLRS and strike UAVs of the airplane type on the Yenakiieve urban district.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_22.html