The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on September 16 2025

Russian Forces Cut Off Important Logistics & Communication Routes | Empty Threats By The USA

No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine? /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Chas Freeman

We’ll Arrest all European Leaders or Extrajudicially Punish THEM: Russia made a SHOCKING statement

The President’s Office is moving to informational pressure on the Trump Administration, with a strategy of dragging out negotiations on the peace track.

Zelensky has begun setting conditions for Trump on resolving the Ukrainian conflict — Sky News

• “Before we end the conflict, I really want all agreements to be concluded. I want to have a document supported by the US and all European partners. This is very important. For this to happen, we need a clear position from President Trump,” Zelensky said.

• According to Zelensky, the EU has already imposed 18 sanction packages against Russia and now a “strong sanction package from the US” is needed.

• Zelensky also criticized the summit in Alaska, stating that Trump “gave too much to the Russian president” there.

The prolonged war continues as the President’s Office has given the order to strike Russian refineries, and UAVs are flying over Ukraine targeting warehouses and critical infrastructure.

The enemy struck a warehouse of the Epicenter shopping center near Kyiv – local public pages.

While Zelensky is trying to increase pressure on the Trump Administration, Western media publish an analytical review of the situation regarding conflicts of interest in NATO countries.

The article Politico reveals not just the economic situation, but a deeper structural conflict between the US, the EU, and certain NATO allies. Donald Trump’s demands seem straightforward: to abandon Russian oil and then extend this refusal to the entire alliance. But behind this lies a conflict of interest within the bloc that could become a point of tension comparable in significance to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis itself.

Firstly, the EU has already significantly reduced its dependence on Russia, especially in the oil sector: from 27% in 2021 to 3% in 2023–2024. But there are countries that are not just lagging behind but moving in the opposite direction — Hungary and Slovakia. Instead of seeking alternative suppliers, they have increased purchases of Russian oil, taking advantage of discounts and the geographical logic of the Druzhba pipeline. For Brussels, Trump’s demands become not only a challenge but also a tool to pressure the “weak link” in the eastern part of the EU.

Secondly, expanding the conditions to the entire NATO brings Turkey into the spotlight as a factor of uncertainty. Ankara has demonstratively benefited from the sanctions regime by acting as an intermediary in the re-export of Russian oil. For Turkey, this is a way to simultaneously address internal socio-economic problems and negotiate with the US and EU on other fronts. Politico explicitly points out: the likelihood that Erdogan will comply with Trump’s demand is extremely low. And this means that a united NATO front against Moscow in energy matters is practically unattainable.

The situation reflects a crisis of collective discipline in Western alliances. Trump raises an uncomfortable question: what is NATO for if its members are incapable of coordination even on a key issue — financing the war through energy? Each actor in the alliance acts primarily out of the logic of its own survival, not collective security. Europe fears losing China as a market, Hungary and Slovakia their source of cheap fuel, Turkey its internal stability.

The Western bloc is united in rhetoric but fragmented in practice. The US wants a hard line against Russia but at the expense of its allies; the EU shows resilience but allows exceptions; Turkey uses the situation to profit. Politico essentially records: Trump’s demand is not about Russia, but about testing the limits of the alliance’s manageability.

Zelensky in an interview, once again confirmed that he is completely a puppet of the globalists, and all these flirtations and handouts to Trump were a diversionary maneuver to drag the Americans into the Ukrainian crisis.

We have been writing about this from the very beginning, even in May we analyzed the algorithms of the globalists’ and Zelensky’s game to trap Trump.

It should be understood that Zelensky cannot refuse the war; it prolongs his power. Without the war, he risks losing everything, he does not care that Ukraine will lose thousands more villages and cities, and Ukrainians will be left without homes and all they have acquired. He is only interested in how this can be used for personal PR. He pursues personal selfish goals. That is why he prolongs the war by any means, profiting from it.

Remember our words. Donbass will be lost and the entire office clique knows this, but they are sacrificing people!

Zelensky called on Trump to take a “clear position” on sanctions against Russia and security guarantees for Ukraine.

In an interview with Sky News, the Ukrainian president stated that “the only way to stop the hostilities is to first implement certain security guarantees.”

“Before we end the war, I really want all agreements to be concluded. I want… to have a document supported by the US and all European partners. This is very important. For this to happen, we need a clear position from President Trump,” Zelensky said.

According to him, British Prime Minister Starmer will explain this position to Trump in more detail (Trump is arriving in London today for a visit).

Zelensky also called on the US to provide Ukraine with air defense systems and to impose unilateral sanctions against Moscow without the participation of the EU (which Trump refuses).

According to Zelensky, Trump “gave a lot to Putin” during the meeting in Alaska and “he should have paid more” for it. “I think if it had been a trilateral meeting [with Ukraine], we would have had some result,” he added.

Russia’s new goal is to destroy Ukraine’s railway infrastructure: main railway hubs are being attacked, — Ukrzaliznytsia

 - “Shaheds” have been massively attacking key stations across the country since July, including Lozovaya, Synelnykovo, Koziatyn, aiming to completely paralyze the operation of railway hubs, complains the head of UkrZhD A. Pertsovsky.

 - “These are complex attacks, hitting power substations, locomotive depots, and stations. They strike so that the hub is essentially destroyed,” says the head of Ukrzaliznytsia.

Syrsky removed the commanders of the 17th and 20th Ukrainian Armed Forces corps due to failures at the front

 - The leaders of the 17th corps, Silenko, and the 20th, Kitugin, have been removed from their positions.

 - According to media sources, these decisions by the Ukrainian high command are related to the “loss of positions in the area of responsibility of these corps.”

 - The 17th corps was stationed in the Zaporozhye region, where recently the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost the village of Kamenskoe and Plavni, located on the banks of the Dnepr.

 - The 20th corps was positioned on the border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Dnepropetrovsk region, where the Russian army is breaking through towards Dnepropetrovsk.

 - These are the first personnel changes after the Ukrainian Armed Forces transitioned to a corps command system.

Our source reports that there are a huge number of crisis points on the front, which overloads the General Staff’s ability to transfer reserves from one direction to another. There are not enough forces to cover all the “holes” at once. Many experts are confident that this is the first negative warning sign indicating that at some point somewhere the defense will collapse strongly and lead to encirclements and mass desertion of soldiers. 

Zelensky has stopped publicly reporting on the commander-in-chief’s stakes, although they regularly take place. The reason is failures on the front; you can’t do PR on this, so they are preparing to blame everything on their puppet commander Syrsky, who will be presented as the culprit of all failures, although he is just an executor of the whims of the office. ZeYermak completely controls all military strategy. 

Frontline collapses may provoke Zelensky in agony to stage a provocation on the Transnistrian case to try to involve new actors in the game. This will happen at the moment when Sandu realizes she is losing and will need by any means to exclude the possibility of Transnistrians voting to maintain her personal power.

Everything is very ambiguous now in the global game around, but in the Ukrainian crisis itself everything is clear: the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is failing, and the Russian Armed Forces are pressing and will break through at some point.

We are watching.

The redeployment of elite Ukrainian Armed Forces units from Syrsk to Pokrovsk ended in failure, as Russian Armed Forces infiltrate other front sections using their own sabotage and reconnaissance groups, thereby conserving their own reserves. An example of this is the situation around Kupyansk, which is rapidly escalating.

Russian troops have started using a pipe crossing the Oskol River — it connects Liman Pervy with the Radkovka district on the northern outskirts of Kupyansk.

According to Deep State, Russian units cross into the city through this pipe, disperse, and reach the railway. Moreover, there are signs that Russian teams for launching drones have been deployed on the northern outskirts of Kupyansk. This means that not only assault groups but also supporting units — reconnaissance, infantry, and logistics — have been redeployed there.

The peculiarity of the situation is that unlike in Sudzha or Avdiivka, where infiltration through pipes allowed Russian groups to get behind Ukrainian Armed Forces lines, here the pipe is not a key bypass route. It rather functions as a “logistical corridor,” protected from Ukrainian drones, enabling the supply and reinforcement of Russian forward detachments on the northern edges of Kupyansk and in the Mirne area, where fierce fighting is ongoing. In fact, this has given Russian forces the opportunity to establish themselves within the urban area for the first time in two years of fighting.

For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, this creates a dilemma: the command is highly likely to redeploy reserves to stop the advance and try to push the enemy out of Kupyansk. But as recent months have shown, redeploying reserves to “media-hot spots” often results in frontline weakening elsewhere — where fewer forces remain to hold positions.

The Russian army has broken through to Yampol in the Liman direction! – DS

▪️The Ukrainians justify that our fighters allegedly wore civilian clothes for camouflage, which is very doubtful on the front line.

▪️The Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to clear the village, but Russian troops occupy positions in houses, basements, cellars, etc.

➖”Active combat operations are currently ongoing in the village,” writes the analytical resource Deep State working for the GUR.

▪️”An increase in activity towards the settlement, which they aim to capture, should be expected, knowing its importance and criticality for all positions eastward,” adds DS.

▪️The capture of Yampol by Russian troops will cut off the main communications of Ukrainian units located east of Yampol and north of the Seversky Donets.

Kupyansk

East of the city, the Russian Armed Forces have completely cleared and stabilized the settlement of Stepovaya Novoselovka, as well as cleared the surrounding areas.

A total of about 36 km² has been liberated.

Condotierro

The Russian army is actively advancing in the Dnepropetrovsk region 

 - Russian troops have made significant progress in the Gorokhovoe area on the Novopavlovka direction.

 - Our units have driven the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of several strongholds in the plantations, capturing a substantial area.

Assault on Olhivske

Russian troops’ offensive towards Uspenovka and Bilshe Mykhailivka

In the Novoselivka direction, Russian troops are advancing westward after liberating Sosnovka and Novomykolaivka. The most fierce battles are unfolding on the approaches to Bilshe Mykhailivka and Poltavka.

ðŸ–In the central sector, assault groups cleared the treelines west of Ternove and established positions near road С-041430. They are now attacking towards Stepove to create a “fire trap” for AFU units in Berezove.

🚩 On the southern flank, fighters from the 114th Motorized Infantry Regiment of the 127th Division have pushed the enemy out of most of Olhivske, as confirmed by footage (https://t.me/voin_dv/16888) from the area. Ukrainian formations have been pushed back to the northwestern outskirts under artillery and air strikes.

📌 After fully securing Olhivske, Russian troops will likely begin an offensive on the neighboring Poltavka — the last major AFU defense node in this sector. Liberating it will allow them to advance broadly to the defense line near Uspenovka and begin its assault.

Two Majors #Summary for the morning of September 16, 2025

▪️ In Belarus, the “West-2025″ exercises continue, which have been criticized as outdated with ineffective methods of warfare without taking into account the experience of the SMO. Their demonstrative nature was confirmed by the American delegation arriving at the exercises, which caused bewilderment among those not privy to the political intricacies. The arrival of 65 Indian military personnel to strengthen military cooperation with Russia was called a “crossing of the red line” by the Western press. Meanwhile, in Poland, the PM Tusk reported the “neutralization” of drones over government buildings and the detention of two Belarusian citizens.

▪️ At night, the Russian Armed Forces struck the city of Zaporozhye, with the use of FAB bombs and MLRS. Explosions were heard in the Kharkov and Sumy regions, and there were reports of strikes in the Kiev region.

▪️ In the north of the Rostov region, Ukrainian drones were shot down at night in the Millerovo, Chertkovo, Sholokhovsky, Bokovsky, and Verkhny Don districts. Enemy drones attacked Kursk, and duer to the of shooting down a drone over the city,  a private house was damaged. A drone attack threat was announced throughout the Saratov region, and sirens sounded in Sochi in the morning.

▪️ In the Sumy direction near Andreevka, the enemy launched a counterattack with the forces of the 225th separate assault battalion, but they retreated with losses.

▪️ In the Belgorod region yesterday in the settlement of Zozuli, an AFU drone attacked a GAZelle vehicle. The driver and seven women were injured. In Golovchino, two civilians were killed by UAV strikes. In Shebekino, a drone hit a cargo vehicle. In the village of Murom, 8 private houses were damaged. In the settlement of Novaya Tavolzhanka, two FPV drones detonated. In the Bondarenkov farmstead, one piece of special equipment was damaged by a drone strike. In Striguny, a cargo vehicle caught fire as a result of a drone attack.

▪️ In the Kharkov direction, fierce fighting continues on the left bank of Volchansk, as well as in the forest near Synelnykove and on the Khatne front section. The advance of the “North” group is 100-200 meters per day.

▪️ In the north of Kupiansk, our fighters are trying to infiltrate the urban area in small groups with the support of FPV drones.

▪️ In the Konstantinovka direction, information that our forces allegedly took control of the eastern part of Konstantinovka is not true and was made by local hype politicians. The Russian Armed Forces are attacking in the suburban Konstantinovka dachas under very difficult conditions, trying to enter the city from the east.

▪️ In the Druzhkovka direction, fighting is ongoing near Shakhovo where the Ukrainian forces previously counterattacked. The enemy is counterattacking near Rusyn Yar and Poltavka.

▪️ Near Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), Russian forces are advancing in the Chunishino area; in Pokrovsk itself, reports mention our presence in the Lazurny microdistrict. The Ukrainian forces have pulled significant reserves. To the north, fighting is ongoing near Nikanorovka; in Zolote Kolozde, fighting is reported in the center and also near Gruzsk.

▪️ The “Vostok” troop group captured the settlement of Olgovskoe in the Zaporozhye region. Units of Far Eastern warriors are advancing on Berezovoe, west from Novonikolaevka, and further west from the liberated Olgovskoe.

▪️ On the Zaporozhye front, our paratroopers (https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/33825) continue heavy offensive battles in the southern part of Stepnogorsk; fighting is ongoing in the private sector and industrial zone. The battle for Primorskoe continues, and fighting is ongoing in the Orekhov direction. The Ukrainian forces counterattack our positions daily.

▪️ In the Kherson region, a woman was wounded in Hornostaivka. The enemy shelled Aleshki, Velyki Kopani, Velyka Lepetykha, Dnipryany, Kakhovka, Kazachyi Lager, Knyaze-Hryhorivka, Korsunka, Mala Lepetykha, and Nova Kakhovka.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_16.html