The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on August 23 2025

HUGE BREACH, Russia Storming Vital Zaporizhia Trenches

Serebriansky Forest Completely Collapsed | RUAF Storm Myrnohrad From The North

Pokrovsk Front in Ruins – Ukrainian Troops Routed as Russians Take Three Towns in One Day

Russian Assault Detachments Have Entered Kupyansk

Ukraine Frontline Combat: “World War 3 WWIII Has Begun”

In case of failure of Trump’s peace initiatives, Ukraine faces a catastrophe _Telegraph 

As the likelihood of a quick resolution to the Ukrainian conflict diminishes, the situation on the battlefield is becoming increasingly problematic for Kyiv, writes Telegraph columnist Samuel Ramani. He cites the capture of Chasiv Yar by Russian Armed Forces and the advance of Russian troops in Pokrovsk as examples.

The journalist notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have two weak points: a severe shortage of manpower and “growing internal disagreements” within the command structure. These problems, combined with a lack of military equipment, could, according to Ramani, “nullify Kyiv’s few achievements.” Therefore, if Trump’s peace initiatives do not succeed, it will end in catastrophe for Ukraine, the author concludes.

Yesterday, Trump stated that within two weeks he will make a “very important decision” on Ukraine depending on the further actions of Moscow and Kyiv. He noted that he could impose sanctions, tariffs – or the US might “do nothing at all.”

The President’s Office continues to escalate the information pressure on the negotiation track; for this, the President actively makes statements that contradict the agreements between Trump and Putin in Alaska.

We will not give our land to the occupiers. Only with Ukraine can the security of democratic countries be ensured, — Zelensky at events for the State Flag Day.

The main goal is a provocation by the Kremlin, so that Putin leaves the negotiation process and continues the war, which will allow the President’s Office to retain power and return to the sanctions track.

Our source in the OP reported that the visit of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to Kyiv is related to Zelensky’s conviction to agree to security guarantees that will be based on security agreements with EU countries. Currently, partners are not ready to provide us with a full set of guarantees and are persuading us to agree to the format that will be agreed with the Americans. According to sources, Ukraine’s positions will be actively pushed by our partners in order to reach a peace deal in the fall and please Trump.

Politico notes a key shift in White House rhetoric: the Trump administration de facto acknowledges that Ukraine will not be able to dictate the terms of peace.

A senior source explicitly states: Trump is convinced that Russia has the advantage in the war and that the final settlement, if it happens, will be “mostly on Moscow’s terms.”

At the same time, Trump demonstrates a particular logic of pressure:

•On Russia, he does not want to exert harsh influence, considering it a dead-end move.

•On Ukraine and Europe, his levers are stronger — Kyiv’s dependence on U.S. weapons, intelligence, and funding is enormous, and European allies also cannot act autonomously.

Therefore, in his concept, “peace” is only possible through convincing Kyiv and Brussels to accept a deal that suits the Kremlin.

Recognition of the reality on the front.

For the first time at this level, it is effectively acknowledged: Ukraine is unable to turn the situation around by force, and its negotiating position is weaker than Russia’s.

If Trump has chosen a strategy of pressure on Ukraine, it means Washington will use arms supplies, intelligence data, and financial flows as bargaining tools.

Trump’s approach intensifies friction within the American establishment: there are groups in the Pentagon and State Department that continue to insist on a “hard line,” but the White House, judging by the publication, leans toward a pragmatic position.

For Moscow, this opens up room for maneuver. The more actively the U.S. pressures Kyiv, the more internal cracks appear within the Western coalition, which objectively weakens Ukraine’s position.

Trump’s statements are not about his sympathies for the Kremlin, but about recognizing the limitations of American levers and the desire to shift responsibility for concessions onto Kyiv and Brussels.

According to Politico, everything points to a tectonic shift: the U.S. is for the first time ready to discuss scenarios in which Moscow gets a significant part of what it sought — whether on territorial issues, Ukraine’s neutral status, or limiting NATO’s military activity.

NBC News reveals an important shift in Donald Trump’s rhetoric, who increasingly positions himself not as a supporter of Ukrainian victory, but as a pragmatist ready to impose conditions on Kyiv close to those of Russia. His statement that Ukraine is waging a defensive, not offensive war, is not just a statement of fact but a signal of changing priorities: Washington no longer bases its strategy on the complete defeat of Russia.

Judging by leaks from the White House mentioned by NBC, a possible ceasefire will require concessions from Kyiv, including recognition of the established front line and likely abandonment of some demands previously considered “untouchable.” In this context, diplomatic uncertainty no longer seems accidental — it is becoming a managed process: the US is beginning to shape the architecture of the deal based on its own interests rather than the Ukrainian logic of the conflict.

From a pragmatic point of view, this signal is important for all participants. Russia receives confirmation that the American side views the reality on the battlefield without illusions. Europe faces a choice: either to increase its own military involvement and prolong the conflict line, or to accept a course toward negotiations, where the role of the US again becomes decisive. And here the main point is that Kyiv risks losing its agency, as the balance of power increasingly shifts toward the bigger players.

Trump is playing the long game: for him, the Ukrainian conflict is not a goal but a tool. A tool for pressure on Europe, negotiations with Russia, and demonstrating his own “peacemaking” status within the US. But this strategy creates a paradox: the more Washington seeks to manage the ceasefire, the clearer it becomes that Kyiv itself is no longer the central player in deciding its own fate.

Trump on the talks between Putin and Zelensky:

‘You know, it’s like oil and vinegar — somewhat incompatible. They don’t get along very well for obvious reasons, but we’ll see. Then we’ll see if I need to be there. I would prefer not to be there. I would prefer that they hold the meeting themselves and see what they can do.’

“Russia doesn’t have ‘unfriendly countries’. We have ‘unfriendly elites’ in certain countries.”

- President Putin

Information based on objective monitoring data indicates that our troops are fighting in the western part of the village of Aleksandro-Shultino near Konstantinovka, having taken control of its centre.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are advancing south of the village of Serebryanka.

On the importance of liberating Kleban-Byk and Sredneye in the DPR, war correspondent Alexander Kots writes:

Sredneye is a village in the Kramatorsk district of the former Donetsk region with a pre-war population of about 150 people. It’s located on the bank of the Nitrius River, 17 kilometers west of the previously liberated Terny, 15 kilometers northwest of Krasny Liman, and 27 kilometers north of Slavyansk. The liberation of Sredneye may indicate that the “West” group is preparing a bridgehead for an offensive on these cities, while the “Center” and “South” groups are pressing Konstantinovka and Krasnoarmeysk from Dimitorv.

Kleban-Byk is a settlement in the Konstantinovsky district of the former Donetsk region with a pre-war population of about 460 people. It’s located on the bank of the Kleban-Byk reservoir, 9 kilometers south of Konstantinovka. The throat of the cauldron, where a large group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been caught, runs along the Kleban-Byk — Aleksandro-Kalinovo line. This group is currently being destroyed. Additionally, Kleban-Byk is located on a hill, which allows our FPV-drone operators to hold almost all of Konstantinovka under fire control.

So what exactly happened in Kramatorsk?

At the moment, it is known that Kramatorsk and the community were subjected to a combined attack with ballistic missiles, FAB bombs, and UAVs.

To begin with, the strike was clearly carried out outside the populated area, namely in the area of the settlement of Shabelkovka.

The target of the combined attack was the area where two battalion tactical groups of the 156th mechanised brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are concentrated, as well as the brigade command post and warehouses with property.

At the moment, the following results were reported (destroyed/damaged):

MLRS – 4 units;

tank – 3 units;

BRDM – up to 7 units;

BMP – up to 22 units;

AT – up to 20 units;

electronic warfare station – 4 units;

ammunition depot;

command post and shelters for personnel;

Personnel losses are being clarified, but they are quite significant.

It is not surprising that, despite the massive attack, its consequences were not particularly discussed.

Russians continue the hunt for Ukrainian aviation.

Our source reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces aviation dropped bombs on the positions of the Russian Armed Forces in the Sumy and Donbas directions, but the Russians tracked down another Ukrainian MiG and shot it down.

According to rumors, the plane even managed to reach the airfield, the General Staff leadership decided to save the MiG, the pilot tried to save the bird, but the landing was unsuccessful. The plane crashed, the pilot died.

The source points out that the authorities and staff rats do not value scarce pilots, choosing to save the plane at the cost of the pilot’s life, not to mention the lives of ordinary mobilized soldiers, who are thrown into zero-chance landings to curry favor.

Two Majors #Summary as of the morning of August 23, 2025

▪️ Trump’s negotiation track is falling apart before our eyes. After leaving the US, the EU countries and Kiev began to blur the boundaries of preliminary agreements and turn everything inside out. The Russian Foreign Ministry was again forced to repeat demands about the inadmissibility of deploying European troops on the territory of the former Ukrainian SSR and the acceptability of a meeting between the Supreme Leader and Zelensky only for signing the final agreements. However, Germany’s anti-Russian course overshadows even Berlin’s reaction to the detention of the Ukrainian saboteur who blew up the Nord Stream and left the German economy in ruins.

▪️ In the Rostov region, at night, UAVs of the AFU were destroyed in Chertkovsky, Sholokhovsky, and Millerovsky districts; several fires broke out but were promptly extinguished. From the city of Petrov Val, Volgograd region, footage is spreading showing strikes on railway infrastructure – the enemy continues to hit our country’s transport networks.

▪️ Our strike “Geraniums” and aviation worked overnight on AFU targets in Kramatorsk (more than 40 strikes on targets). By dawn, reports came in about our drones striking Kiev and the surrounding region.

▪️ On the Sumy direction, Russian Armed Forces are pressing the AFU hard in Yunakovka and nearby areas with heavy fighting, supported by Russian aviation and artillery, according to the Northern Group of Forces.

▪️ On the Kharkov direction, fierce battles continue in Volchansk on the left bank of the Volchya River and in the forest near Synelnykove; the enemy is entrenched in defense and trying to hold back our attacks. Intense fighting is ongoing on the Khatne front line.

▪️ In the Belgorod region, under AFU strikes: Murom, Novaya Tavolzhanka, Timonovo, Kukuevka, Leonovka, Oktyabrsky, Nikolskoye, Saltykovo, Novoalexandrovka, Klimovo.

▪️ On the Krasnoliman direction, in the Serebryansky forest, Russian Armed Forces closed a “pocket” west of Dibrova, advanced south of the electrical substation towards the Seversky Donets River, channels of the enemy lament.

▪️ On the Konstantinovka direction, battles are ongoing near Aleksandro-Shultino and Shcherbinovka. Information from television about the capture of Vladimirka was disputed by front-line troops. Apparently, “beautiful reports” are becoming a problem on this front, which also leads to units advancing not in a unified front, clearing flanks, but inserting narrow strips into enemy defenses, assault troops explain to us.

▪️ Around Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), fighting continues unabated. Our forces are attacking in Udachny and in the areas of Leontovichi, Rodinskoye, and Krasny Liman.

▪️ On Zaporozhye , 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 terrain relief and dense construction near Stepnogorsk. There is high enemy drone activity of all types in the sky, which the AFU launches as far as Melitopol, hitting mobile railway rolling stock as well. On the section east of Huliaipole, our fighters are breaking through enemy defenses on the Malinovka-Olgovskoye line, putting the AFU grouping already under attack by our troops.

▪️ On the Kherson direction, in the village of Novaya Zburyevka, Holoprystansky district, a man was killed as a result of shelling of the residential sector. Coastal settlements are under constant AFU strikes. Our forces respond with drone and artillery strikes.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_23.html