The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on August 26 2025

Russian Forces Reach Vorone | Fighting Over Serebriansky Marsh Area Approaches The End

RUAF Capture Several Fortified Positons East of Myrnohrad | Armored Vehicles Losses Reduced

Huge Damage to BRITAIN: Russian FSB wiped out UK’s High-Class Military Engineers in ‘PAVLOGRAD’

Our source reports that the British press leak (globalists) about the US Vice President JD Vance trying to establish contact with Zaluzhny, who refused. It is aimed at boosting the persona of the “iron general” himself among Ukrainian national patriots, activists, and military. Like, look, he refused the Trump supporters for national interests – this is the new national leader to follow to fight and die for.

This is another piece of his PR campaign run by the British (globalists) promoting a replacement for Zelensky, who has long been abandoned. If Zelensky suddenly decides to comply with Trump’s peace demands, which the globalists strongly dislike, they will implement their backup plans:

1. stage a military coup and put Zaluzhny to continue the war.

2. Run in elections with Zaluzhny, who will win against Zelensky and then become the “London manager” in Ukraine, carrying out tasks set by the globalists.

There is a lot of compromising material on Zelensky and his circle from both globalists and Trump supporters. He has become a very vulnerable asset. They will soon start filming.

We are watching.

Against the backdrop of the protracted war and weakening public support, the unofficial start of the presidential campaign in Ukraine has begun. The political elite is moving into the phase of preparing for a change of power, with scenarios for the upcoming elections increasingly discussed both domestically and on international platforms. In Western circles, there is growing conviction that Volodymyr Zelensky is gradually losing his position. New figures—more convenient, predictable, and controllable—are being considered to replace him. Zelensky himself apparently realizes this and is trying to preemptively eliminate potential competitors.

The first to come under attack was Vitali Klitschko. Although the mayor of Kyiv has not declared presidential ambitions, his independent activities—especially in terms of real assistance to the front—have taken him beyond the controlled vertical. The delivery of thousands of drones to the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the 3rd Assault Brigade, became a visible counterexample to the central government’s simulated activity. In response, the Kyiv administration was deprived of 8 billion hryvnias, which were directed to the army through the local budget. This became a political signal: Klitschko must not be strengthened even in the volunteer field. In the logic of Bankova, it is more important to weaken the opponent than to help the Ukrainian military.

The second center of political gravity is former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. His figure is actively discussed in Washington and London as a possible successor to Zelensky. According to various sources, Zaluzhnyi’s headquarters is already functioning, and his support in the West is growing. Britain, in particular, has signed an agreement with the Central Election Commission of Ukraine on “assisting elections”—which in practice may mean gaining access to the administration of the process. This gives London an additional lever of influence and the ability to ensure the manageability of the campaign results. The West is clearly betting on Zaluzhnyi as a figure capable of restoring control without losing loyalty to allies.

Zelensky himself, aware of the vulnerability of his position, is betting on prolonging the war. The logic is simple: as long as the war continues, elections are impossible, and therefore, he retains power. Any talks about negotiations or fixing the front line he perceives as a threat to his political future. Therefore, the disruption of dialogue becomes part of the tactic to maintain control. Extending the hostilities is an instrument not so much of military pressure as of political survival.

Thus, Ukraine is entering a phase of hidden pre-election struggle, where the weapons are not only propaganda or administrative resources but the war itself.

International politics today is increasingly turning into a game of endurance, where victory is determined not by the speed of decisions but by the ability to hold a position under long-term pressure. The system is no longer governed by classic diplomatic agreements: the balance of power is formed through the exhaustion of the opponent — economic, military, psychological. In this logic, the war in Ukraine ceases to be a local conflict and becomes part of a global redistribution of influence.

In his article for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Gabuev writes that after the failure of the “Plan A,” the Kremlin activated the strategy of “Plan B”. Moscow’s initial idea was to use Donald Trump’s second presidency as a lever: to convince the US to play the role of mediator who would force Kyiv to accept terms favorable to Russia. However, the Alaska summit showed that Washington is not ready to make a “big deal” and openly demonstrates unity with Europe. Now the Kremlin’s bet shifts to a long-term strategy: time works in Moscow’s favor if it manages to wear down the West, force it to reduce military and financial support to Kyiv, and then dictate new rules.

At the same time, as Gabuev himself admits, this bet is not without risk. The EU is discussing the confiscation of more than $250 billion in frozen Russian assets in favor of Ukraine, and this could change the dynamics of the conflict. But Moscow’s logic is clear: on the front, numerical superiority remains, drone and equipment production is growing, and the economy has been shifted to a war footing. Russia is not seeking a quick truce because it understands that any agreement today will cement the status quo, which so far does not reflect the Kremlin’s ambitions.

At the core of what is happening lies a dilemma: what is more important — victory in a specific battle or surviving the war itself as a process? In an era when classical geopolitics has been replaced by the politics of attrition, states are forced to think not in terms of wins and losses but in terms of resilience. In the editors’ opinion, Russia is essentially betting that the fatigue of Western democracies and internal crises will outweigh its own losses. But this bet is dangerous because it opens the possibility of a protracted conflict without a clear endpoint, where the winner will not be the stronger side but the one who endures the longest.

The Office of the President continues to pursue an aggressive foreign policy, without considering the consequences for Ukraine.

Hungary may stop electricity supplies to Ukraine. But it does not want to: small children cannot be held responsible for the behavior of the former actor, now their president, — the Hungarian Foreign Minister

Szijjártó stated that several types of energy carriers are supplied from Hungary to Ukraine. Among them, electricity stands out, accounting for 30 to 40% of Ukraine’s monthly imports.

“Let’s think about what will happen if this stops, what consequences it will have?

They do not consider that the country’s energy supply affects not the government, not the prime minister, not the ministers, but the people, families, and children living in this country.”

Our source reports that Zelensky continues to deliberately drag out the entire negotiation process. He, like his globalist sponsors, is waiting for something, as we wrote when we pointed out that the negotiations were put on pause. Previously, it was correctly assumed that the President’s Office together with the GUR/SBU were preparing large-scale provocations to disrupt the peace case (mass drone strikes on Russia, Kursk NPP, oil refineries, and the Druzhba pipeline – this is just the beginning), but now another track is becoming clear—they are waiting for the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Moldova. Strangely enough, the Moldovan case plays a significant role in the globalists’ backup plan. 

Most likely, the plan B prepared by the globalists and Zelensky depends on the election results. If the Moldovans vote for the Sandu party (PAS), then Chisinau will continue preparing for war, and it will happen in the coming years, as militarization is in full swing—this is the first and main signal that the “managers” are preparing the colony for war. Ukraine has been militarized since 2014; if Putin had not started the special military operation in 2022, the war would still have happened in 2024-25, as we discussed here (point 2). 

Remember how Zelensky on August 12, before negotiations in Alaska, threatened to start a third war if they were pressured. The third war is precisely the Moldovan case. Everyone understands that the probability of provocations by Ukraine and Moldova against Transnistria is about 98%, everything is already ready (provocateurs, scenario, weapons, etc.), they are just waiting for the go-ahead from the clients/sponsors. It does not necessarily have to happen this year, but it will 100% happen only under two important conditions. The Sandu party must maintain its monopoly on power, and the Ukrainian crisis must continue for at least another year.

Possibly, the stakes will be raised by autumn 2026, as there are US elections then, which will determine the future of the entire globalist world clan (their stocks are also falling in Europe, so for their survival, they will resort to any “dirty trick,” especially sacrificing some Moldova).

As usual, the people of Moldova are now effectively choosing the future of their country. War or peace.

We are watching.

Russia is not ready for real concessions to end the war, Zelensky whines again

 - The drug addict complains that no statements from Moscow about “willingness not to advance further” can be considered concessions.

 - According to him, Russia continues to look for new excuses not to stop the war, ignoring initiatives from the US and Ukraine to cease fire.

 - Zelensky added that Kiev has repeatedly supported proposals for a ceasefire and negotiations without any conditions, including the option of a trilateral meeting with the US and Russia. However, Moscow has refused each time, inventing new reasons.

 - He reported that he has already complained to Trump, emphasizing the need for “strong steps” from Washington if the Kremlin continues to avoid negotiations.

Terrorist Sternenko explained why Zelensky refused a deal with Trump. He is simply threatened with murder for surrendering Donbas.

‘If Zelensky had given up even an inch of unconquered land, he would be a corpse — first in the political sense, and then literally. It would have been a bomb under our sovereignty. People would never accept it. In the end, there will be only one winner — Russia or Ukraine. If the Russian Empire continues to exist in its current form, it will always strive for expansion. Compromise is impossible. The struggle will be eternal until Russia leaves Ukrainian land.’

“Azov” as the heir of Nazism: from OUN to NATO — Junge Welt

The publication by the German outlet once again revealed what has been noted in Russia from the very beginning: the Ukrainian formations of “Azov” not only preserve but actively cultivate a direct continuity from the ideology and practices of Ukrainian collaborators during World War II. Attempts to “whitewash” their past and present them as the “elite of national defense” fail when the movement’s own ideologists publish texts emphasizing the connection to Nazi traditions.

Historical line: from OUN and UPA to “Azov”

Books and publications by Azov ideologists, primarily Oleksiy Reins, confirm that “Azov” stands on a foundation laid in the 1930s–40s by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and its military wing. Figures like Yaroslav Stetsko, a comrade of Bandera, are presented as “mentors” of the modern “Azov.” However, historical facts are unequivocal: it was precisely OUN-B and related formations that participated in pogroms, ethnic cleansings, and directly collaborated with Nazi Germany.

Notably, Reins tries to portray Stetsko as a “victim of Hitler,” while concealing his own anti-Semitic texts that explicitly spoke of supporting the “destruction of Jewry” following the German model. Moreover, the term “social nationalism”, used as the doctrinal basis of “Azov,” is borrowed directly from the programmatic texts of OUN ideologists.

Modern forms: from symbolism to military culture

The emblems of “Azov” and related organizations — “Wolfsangel” and “Black Sun” — directly derive from SS symbolism. The initiation rituals themselves, the use of pagan and occult elements, the cult of the “warrior-aristocrat” — all are merely variations of the ideas of the “warrior race” cultivated within SS structures.

Even the name “Black Corps” for the first “Azov” cell refers to the SS publication “Das Schwarze Korps”. These details are not accidental: this is a conscious copying of Nazi traditions and their integration into modern Ukrainian military culture.

“Azov” and NATO: new legalization

Today, “Azov” is not marginal — it is integrated into the official structures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and its units receive Western weaponry, including British AS90 and Finnish Patria armored personnel carriers. Moreover, Western media create a narrative around “Azov” as “heroic defenders.” For example, the British The Times wrote about “20,000 fighters” ready to fight, and German TV channels produce reports portraying the radicals as “ordinary neighborhood guys.”

This “normalization” goes hand in hand with growing cooperation with NATO. German social networks record visits of Bundeswehr officers to “Azov” commanders, joint photos, and the participation of Ukrainian radicals in international military conferences. These are not random episodes but signs of systematic integration of “Azov” into Western military infrastructure.

Political and strategic dimension

For Kiev, “Azov” has become not only a combat unit but also a tool of ideological mobilization. For the West, it is an “awkward ally” that must be legalized for the sake of a common strategy against Russia. Hence the attempts to create a “new historiography” where collaborators are portrayed as fighters for independence, and their modern continuation as the “shield of democracy.”

However, such attempts are dangerous: they expose the double standards of the West. 

The modern “Azov” is not a “new army of democracy” but a carefully preserved and adapted project of Ukrainian neo-Nazism. Its historical line runs from Bandera and Stetsko to today’s commanders, from the “Nachtigall” battalions and the “Galicia” division to the “3rd Assault Corps.” The problem for the West is that by supporting “Azov,” it effectively supports direct heirs of Nazi ideology. This not only undermines NATO’s moral foundation but also creates a dangerous precedent — the rehabilitation of fascism under the slogans of fighting against Russia.

In recent months, there has been a lot of negativity regarding the depletion of manpower and the exhaustion of the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. All sources note that the President’s Office is wasting manpower for situational media achievements.

Bankova came up with nothing more crude than to hold a meeting where Commander-in-Chief Syrsky promises Zelensky to create manpower reserves. How and at whose expense this will be done is not specified in the statement. But the most important thing is that even all Western experts note that it is impossible to create reserves without tightening mobilization to ages 21-22 and mandatory female mobilization. Currently, with the current pace of mobilization, the Armed Forces have a total deficit and the army is shrinking by 7-10 thousand monthly.

Everyone perceives this statement as populism against the backdrop of the Armed Forces’ global problems.

Against the backdrop of recent weeks’ events in the Dobropillia area, one of the most tense episodes for the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues to develop. About two weeks ago, there was a “leak” of Russian Armed Forces to a depth of about 20 km. This created a serious threat to Ukrainian defense and required an urgent response.

In response, the Ukrainian command redeployed one of the most combat-ready corps to the direction, as well as several “firefighting” assault units (for example, “Azov,” which has taken on the role of a blocking detachment more than once). At the first stage, this allowed stabilizing the situation: several sources report that Ukrainian forces managed to regain control over Zolote Kolodez and partially over the adjacent areas. However, information about the “encirclement” of the settlement Kucherov Yar remains disputed — most likely, it is in the “gray zone.” The return of Nikanorivka is also unconfirmed despite corresponding statements. The front here is unstable and remains highly dynamic. There are reports of Russian units advancing towards Shakhovo, capturing Vladimirovka, and overall, although the breakthrough has narrowed in length, there are attempts by the Russian Armed Forces to expand it in width, especially in areas where it could provide a tactical advantage.

Thus, the situation remains difficult — despite local stabilization, it has been achieved at a high cost in terms of Ukrainian Armed Forces losses and reserve redistribution, which may affect the stability of other front sections. The crisis has not yet been fully resolved.

Fierce battles near Pokrovsk: Russian forces destroy Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment and infantry on a massive scale

▪️Heavy fighting continues in the Pokrovsk direction, where units of the “Center” group of forces continue their successful offensive. From August 23 to 25, Central Military District fighters once again demonstrated high efficiency in destroying the enemy.

▪️The published footage shows the destruction of armored vehicles, artillery installations, UAVs, motorized equipment, positions, as well as the elimination of Ukrainian infantry.

- RVvoenkor

In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian army continues its steady advance.

The northern industrial part of the city is already partially under control, and the fighting is gradually shifting into residential areas.

⚠️ Some sources claiming that Kupyansk is “almost completely taken” are exaggerating — this is about complex and gradual assault operations.

The offensive is complicated not only by clashes with the Armed Forces of Ukraine but also by the terrain. Attacks have to be carried out in difficult directions: first downhill from an elevation, then uphill. This slows the pace and requires additional efforts to consolidate positions.

Despite these conditions, Russian troops have taken the neighboring Moskovka northwest of Kupyansk and have advanced close to Sobolevka. Initially, it was mistakenly believed that Sobolevka had already been taken, but this has not happened. Once it is taken, only one road will remain for exiting the city.

Thus, the bridgehead is expanding beyond the city limits, which allows for leveling the front and putting pressure on the Ukrainian defense in this area.

Tactically, securing the industrial zone of Kupyansk and advancing northwest creates a basis for gradually “pushing out” the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the city toward the last logistical line.

The assault is conducted without forcing the pace but systematically, so the capture of one node is immediately used to pressure neighboring positions.

Military Chronicle

Zelensky pulled reserves from the Kupyansk direction to save the situation in the Sumy direction, the result – the defense of Kupyansk is collapsing, the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are already disrupted, which may lead to the formation of a cauldron in this direction. We warned about this immediately, pointing out that the constant tactic of plugging holes will lead to a moment when there are so many holes and so few reserves that it will collapse the entire defense. 

The situation is difficult literally everywhere, from where reserves were partially withdrawn to save Pokrovsk and Sumy, where, by the way, the Armed Forces of Ukraine achieved minimal results, but spent huge reserves for a situational media success that Zelensky so badly needed. For example, in the Zaporizhzhia direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to retreat. In the southern Donetsk, the Russian Armed Forces have implemented almost 72% of the plan to capture Novopavlivka, in the Lyman-Borivske – Siversk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are suffering losses, but the absurdity is that the General Staff and Bankova demand commanders to send their soldiers into meat grinder assaults for PR results. It is important for Zelensky right now to hold the front at any cost to sell the Ukrainian crisis at a higher price. We wrote about this back in July. If the plan does not work, then Ukraine’s defense faces a catastrophe. It is comparable to knowing that famine is approaching but throwing “feasts” to gain sponsors’ support. If the sponsors refuse, then you are doomed. 

We are watching.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are losing the Serebryanske Forestry and positions near Seversk

▪️Ukrainian sources acknowledge the difficult situation on the Krasnolymanske direction

➖”The defense of the Serebryanske Forestry is coming to an end. Along with this, the holding of the bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Zherebets River is ending,” writes military correspondent Bohdan Miroshnykov

▪️This threatens Seversk and Lyman — key points east of the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration

▪️Seversk is already practically half-surrounded from two sides, and if Dronovka is occupied, the encirclement will close from the third side as well

➖”Things there are, to put it mildly, not very good. If not to say — quite bad,” summarizes the Ukrainian author.

Two Majors #Summary as of the morning of August 26, 2025

▪️ The US has no more money for the AFU, but the EU will purchase arms for Kiev from the Americans using 5% of GDP for NATO expenditures – Trump has finally and succinctly announced the new scheme for supporting the war in Ukraine. The negotiation track is becoming a low priority, the new redistribution of financial flows suits Washington, and the mutual demands of the parties do not suggest reaching a consensus. On several tactical fronts, the AFU is counterattacking; the night over our regions was spent fighting enemy drones.

▪️ Since 20:00, 37 Ukrainian UAVs of the airplane type were destroyed over the Rostov, Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol, Tula, Kaluga regions and the Black Sea. Restrictions were again imposed at several civilian airports. In the Rostov region, in the settlement of Novobessergenevka, Neklinovsky district, windows were broken in 6 private houses, doors were smashed, walls and roofs were pierced by shrapnel. In one house, a wall and roof were partially destroyed. A car was damaged by debris.

▪️ On the Sumy front, the enemy counterattacked from the side of Andrevka. In Yunakivka, our forces are advancing with heavy fighting; the enemy is sending reinforcements. There are debates online about who controls Bessalovka.

▪️ In the Belgorod region, the city of Shebekino was shelled by the AFU. A civilian was injured. Under AFU strikes were Novaya Tavolzhanka, Chapayevsky, Orekhovo, Dubrovka, Shelaevo, Nechayevka, Novoaleksandrovka.

▪️ On the Kupyansk front, Russian troops have consolidated in the built-up areas in the northwest and west parts of Kupyansk city, in the central and southern parts of Mirovoe, and in the forest plantation on the northern outskirts of Sobolevka, – enemy channels admit.

▪️ On the Konstantinovka front – battles near Yablonovka, Shcherbinovka, Katerinovka, and Aleksandro-Shultino.

▪️ On the Dnepropetrovsk front, as a result of offensive actions by the guardsmen of the “Vostok” group of forces, the settlement of Zaporizke was liberated.

▪️ On the Zaporozhye front, the 7th Guards Airborne Assault Division continues the assault on Stepnohirsk and Plavni. Paratroopers hold the defense near Kamianske, where the enemy constantly tries to counterattack our positions with small groups.

▪️ In the Kherson region, in the settlement of Nova Zburivka, a man was injured by AFU strikes; two civilians were injured in Oleshky. The enemy shelled Dnipryany, Kazachyi Lageri, Korsunka, Lyubymivka, Mala Lepetykha, Nova Kakhovka, Stara Zburivka, Solontsi, Radensk.

▪️ In the maritime areas of the Black Sea, a new element of the situation has become the introduction into service (https://t.me/rusich_army/25378) of the 40th separate coastal defense brigade of the 30th marine infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Navy of the MBEK “Barracuda”. They operates on the Ochakiv direction, so these BECs will work in the basin of the Southern Bug and the Southern Bug estuary near the Kinburn Peninsula.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_26.html