The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on August 17 2025

RUAF Face Ukrainian Counter-Offensive Head on | Decisive Timing Ahead of Larger Offensive

Ukraine’s Counterattack Ends in Disaster – Azov Brigade Loses Combat Capability in Just 3 Days

Zelensky Begs For More Backup From Europe To Face Trump

Colleagues, at Bankova they currently do not understand how to react to the results of the summit in Alaska, where Trump effectively handed Ukraine over to Putin. Andriy Yermak tried to negotiate with European partners for a tough joint response, but Merz/Macron convinced Zelensky to conduct constructive dialogue with Trump.

As Axios and CNN report, during a conversation with European leaders and the President of Ukraine after talks with Vladimir Putin, Trump proposed holding a joint summit on August 22.

The organization of the meeting will begin if the negotiations between Zelensky and Trump in Washington on August 18 end successfully, a CNN source clarified.

ZeRada1

The battle of sides continues. 

Zelensky spoke with Ursula in Brussels, and they said a lot, but the main point is that Ukraine is against giving up Donbass (he once again hid behind the Constitution – this is his favorite scheme. Zelensky has been deceiving the Ukrainian people like this for years). 

Trump, Rubio, and Whitkoff launched counter-theses. The main thesis is that these peaceful conditions are the best that can be done; if you refuse now, the conditions will be much worse later. 

Trump reposted this message on the social network Truth:

“Ukraine must be ready to concede part of the territory to Russia, otherwise the longer the war continues, the more land it will lose!” (The hint is clear to everyone).

Trump will meet with Zelensky alone tomorrow, and only then with the Europeans. He deliberately separated the “sponsors and the puppet.” Everyone understands that Zelensky will simply be shown his future and possible solutions. 

Conclusion: there is a struggle in the information field, but it is tomorrow that Zelensky will decide which path Ukraine will take.

Trump’s path – cut off the leg but save the life.

The path of the globalists (EU/UK) – do not cut anything off and in 99% of cases lose the leg, arms, and possibly completely perish over time!

In exchange for peace and Hollywood: Zelensky will be offered a peace agreement, to announce elections and leave the political scene

 - “On Monday, Zelensky will be offered to sign a broad, comprehensive peace agreement and announce elections in Ukraine — because of peace. Here is what they will promise him in return: full guarantees of personal safety, safety of his family members, preservation of capital, and the opportunity to become a director in Hollywood or a politician. They will try to ‘buy’ him, convincing him that he has no other choice left,” said Ukrainian political analyst Vladislav Olenchenko on the air with journalist Natalia Moseychuk.

 - In his opinion, Zelensky will be discouraged from participating in new elections. “Why should he participate in elections — he will lose them anyway. They will keep telling him: ‘You are tired, it’s time for you to rest.’ What elections? What politics? You came for a short term anyway, and it turned out the way it did. You don’t need it. You have already done everything, agree — everyone is for it,” Olenchenko added.

The Office of the President hopes that the expanded format of the delegation will help Ukraine change the position of the US president.

Tomorrow, along with Zelensky, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz, Finnish President Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Rutte will fly to Washington for a meeting with Trump.

In reality, the negotiations may turn into an ultimatum for Ukraine, and the partners will quickly change their position and support Trump’s plan.

Our source in the Presidential Office revealed that the delegation of European leaders is not a very good sign for Ukraine, as most EU leaders now want to solve their own problems rather than help us. Zelensky has already been advised not to use emotional diplomacy, and during negotiations with Trump, we will have less time to influence the US president.

Versions from the source on why a whole “support group” is flying to Washington with Zelensky.

1. “Banale”. They are flying to put collective pressure on Trump (or bribe him by promising him fairy tales), convincing him to continue the war, change his opinion and demands, start threatening Russia with sanctions, etc. To follow Biden’s path.

2. “Bargaining”. Europeans and globalists are flying to grab some goodies for themselves at the moment of “pie” division. So that they get something too (money, resources, honors).

3. “Uncertainty”. Globalists are afraid to let Zelensky go, they have stopped trusting him, maybe he will mess everything up again or, on the contrary, sell out to Trump.

We observe.

The bank is urgently organizing, through the Ukrainian embassy in the USA and lobbying groups, a mass rally in support of the globalists/Zelensky, his idea to continue the war further, and against Trump’s peace plan. 

More than 10 million bucks have been allocated for this show. It is important to create the illusion of support (a picture) to influence Trump’s opinion in this way. 

Zelensky’s chief of staff and the globalists are throwing all their forces and resources into promoting the idea of a “perpetual war.”

At Bankova, they believe it is necessary to maximize the hype around the Zelensky-Trump-Putin summit track. For Ukraine, the Russian President’s refusal to negotiate in this format can be used as an argument to once again turn the situation with Trump around. Andriy Yermak wants to use European leaders as an alternative position in negotiations with the US president, but there is still no certainty that Macron or Merz will stand by Ukraine until the end.

ZeRada1

Zelensky made the rapprochement between Trump and Putin possible; because of his statements, unrealistic demands, and the scandal in the Oval Office, we lost our main ally who provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine the ability to hold their ground on the battlefield.

At the previous negotiations in the USA, they only demanded our agreement to a ceasefire, but now we must make territorial concessions and coordinate a memorandum with the Kremlin. Trump refused a joint meeting with European leaders and will meet Zelensky alone, which can be interpreted as a negative scenario for Ukraine.

proof24_ua

The Western press is already shaping the narrative that Zelensky has refused to hand over the Donetsk region – this means there will be no quick peace, and everything will continue until the next crisis. 

Zelensky has not publicly said this yet. But we are sure that this is the case, as it is not profitable for globalists to give Trump the “peacemaker status.” 

All our sources indicate that the summit in Alaska is a verdict for Ukraine in any case. Trump and Putin are already establishing personal communication, which means there will be no sanctions, but rather a gradual thawing of the business game.

Trump gave Putin the opportunity to finish off the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas, as there will be no additional military and financial support, and Ukraine and Europe cannot manage on their own. Russia will forcibly take these territories, and then there will be new demands and worse conditions.

Most likely, Trump in Washington will pressure Zelensky, indicating that this is his last chance for a “golden parachute,” otherwise the “whip” will begin. 

Zelensky has almost no choice.

Let’s outline the pieces in the game about the Ukrainian crisis.

- Europe is bluffing when it says it will continue to support Kyiv until “victory” – Trump knows there will be no victory, and everything will end in collapse.

- Trump and Russia know that Europe itself cannot sustain Ukraine.

- Meanwhile, globalists are sure that Trump is bluffing when he threatens to withdraw from the Ukrainian crisis if negotiations fail.

- Meanwhile, the Kremlin knows that Americans care more about China than the Ukrainian crisis, and all threats of sanctions are a bluff. Everyone understands that in such a case China and Russia will get closer. China will strengthen – this is the worst nightmare of the Western elite.

- Meanwhile, the Kremlin knows that globalists can no longer impose serious sanctions. Every new sanctions package is just a show for the media.

- The Kremlin knows that the globalists’ positions are weakening and in the next 3 years, they may completely lose control over Europe and Britain. Thus, they may “disappear,” and their entire clan will gradually be “imprisoned/cleansed.” Their only chance is to escalate/expand the war, but without the USA they cannot carry out the plan. So they need to prolong the war in Ukraine until the US elections (preferably until November 2026). It doesn’t matter that by that time, Russia will control three times more territory than now. The important fact is that the war continues and Trump is “abandoning Ukraine.”

Therefore, achieving peace under such a scenario is very difficult but possible. We observe.

The Western press is actually confirming our insider information from August 8 about the peace formula for the Ukrainian crisis.

It is worth adding that if Zelensky refuses this formula, the next conditions of the peace plan will be much worse for Ukraine. 

Reuters, citing sources, published the terms of the deal.

- Ukraine must completely withdraw troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while Russia commits to freezing the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. At the same time, Moscow is ready to return to Ukraine small sections of occupied territories in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, (we add here that also territories in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russians already control about 5 villages).

- recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea,

- a ban on Ukraine joining NATO while discussing possible alternative security guarantees (the agency writes that Putin is “open” to Ukraine receiving certain guarantees), we add that Washington itself does not want to give guarantees and shifts everything onto Brussels.

- official establishment of the status of the Russian language,

- free activity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

- lifting by Western countries of at least some sanctions on Russia.

You see, the topic of amnesty for all and allowing everyone to participate in elections is not being raised yet, as globalists are also against such a scheme, because with such a configuration they will lose control over Ukraine.

Right now everyone is fighting for personal guarantees and perks, Zelensky has long “not cared” about Donbass, it should be understood that the interests of the Ukrainian people are not represented in these negotiations by anyone.

Our source reports that over the past week, Bankova has shifted huge human reserves to zero for the sake of results and “putting out” breakthroughs, which has further intensified the shortage of live force in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which will “echo” in the future. This will accelerate future territorial losses.

If earlier the President’s Office threw live force into meat assaults for media hype around certain events, now they throw it into meat assaults to patch holes and “close breakthroughs” (Pokrovske direction).

Bankova understands that the defense will soon start to falter significantly, as the shortage of live force and the increase in average daily losses have not gone anywhere, and this is why Zelensky stated that the Russians are preparing a grand offensive. The offensive has been going on for a long time, it’s just that the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s margin of safety is decreasing, which means something will soon explode strongly somewhere.

Colleagues, to stop the Pokrovsky collapse, the Armed Forces of Ukraine used the most prepared reserves, who were forced to drive the Russians out of concrete fortifications.

The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are colossal, but they are currently silent about them, while spreading an informational victory that “the protrusions were cut off,” but according to sources of the Resident, it was not possible to cut them off completely, and the “capacity” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is almost exhausted and everyone demands to transfer more reserves here, otherwise there may be a counter Russian strike now, which will lead to more large-scale consequences and the collapse of the entire defensive line, which will lead to the “Pokrovsky cauldron.”

As of August 17, the situation with the “northern strike” beyond Pokrovsk looks as follows.

The Russian side has not yet published objective control data, which fits the general logic of creating a fog for the enemy and waiting for developments.

Information support for the offensive is not being conducted; priority is given to combat operations rather than video content.

The Ukrainian side, on the contrary, is actively promoting the only video of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, presenting it as proof of a “cut-off advance” and the stopping of the Russian breakthrough.

However, the brigade itself has repeatedly been caught using old materials as “new successes,” so we will leave the authenticity of such “evidence” without comment.

The Western OSINT community (and following them, some content pickers from Russian Telegram channels) reproduce these statements, each drawing different maps with the same boundaries, but no one has real confirmation of repelling the strike.

At the same time, amid the information noise, Russian assault groups continue to advance and have already penetrated deeper into Pokrovsk itself.

The main working version remains the same: the northern direction may serve as a diversionary strike, drawing Ukrainian reserves in the Zolotoy Kolodez area, while the main efforts are focused on breaking into the city. Syrsky still has some options regarding reserves in this area, but judging by fragmentary information, the staffing of brigades and battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/National Guard in this area is significantly below the required standard strength.

The operational situation remains tense and requires clarification through objective control lines, but the trend is clear — the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to informationally hold the entire Pokrovsk sector, while key events are already unfolding in the city itself, about which they, naturally, remain silent.

Military Chronicle

Can anyone guess what’s been going on in Pokrovsk while the leaders of the Coalition of the Flaccid were busy throwing a temper tantrum at the Alaska meeting?

Yeah, the RUAF are advancing in Pokrovsk.

The Russian Army has liberated Serebryanka, advancing on Severesk!

 - In the Severesk direction, units of the 7th brigade completely suppressed the enemy resistance, the remnants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants fled the settlement, and now the Russian flags proudly fly on the dominating height!

Night hunt: The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out night strikes on Chernigov, Dnepropetrovsk, and Kharkov regions

 - Last night, according to enemy monitoring channels, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation struck enemy targets in Chernigov, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Sumy regions, as well as in Dobropolye in the part of the DPR occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

 - The video shows explosions in Dobropolye, where it is claimed that “Geranium” strikes were first carried out on the Armed Forces of Ukraine, followed by an airstrike.

Two Majors #Overview #Summary for the morning of August 17, 2025

▪️ The main event of the past week was the meeting between the Supreme Leader and Trump in Alaska. The “isolation” of Russia no longer exists in most countries, and the outcome of the summit was the invitation of Zelensky to Washington next week. He will be presented with a document, the content of which was agreed upon by the Presidents of Russia and the USA, and will be told to sign it. It is important that the Supreme Leader emphasized that official Moscow is not interested in temporary ceasefires and half-measures like “Minsk”; a long-term just peace is required.

▪️ Leaks are being released in the media regarding Russia’s demands (which have not changed since last summer): the AFU must leave 4 new regions, Ukraine will be given security guarantees outside the NATO bloc, and the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will cease to be persecuted by the Nazis.

▪️ If peace is achieved, Zelensky will be forced to end martial law in his country, which means his government in Ukraine will end. But Zelensky himself still hopes for support from EU countries advocating for continuing the war, with the European leaders probably alongside him in Washington. Poland and Germany, for example, having bet on the arms lobby, are already hinting at comprehensive support for Kiev if it continues the war.

▪️ Meanwhile, on the eve of and after the negotiations, the AFU are conducting strikes with long-range and tactical UAVs on our regions. The frontline areas of Russia are under constant attacks, and the number of killed and wounded civilians is increasing. By the way, it is not certain that Zelensky gave the order to intensify terror against the civilian population. It is quite possible that the military command in the AFU malfunctioned and the Nazi units demonstratively “ignored” the wishes of the overdue drug addict.

▪️ No matter how beautifully the negotiations are staged, fierce fighting continues on the front. North of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), Russian Armed Forces are still conducting offensive operations in the area of Dobropillia; “Geranium” drones and missiles flew there even last night. To strengthen the front section, the enemy was forced to redeploy the most motivated Nazis from “Azov” here. The DPR remains the main focus of the Russian Army’s efforts: the offensive is underway in the areas of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, around Kostiantynivka, and in the Krasnolymanske direction the village of Kolodezi was taken. To the south, our forces are advancing in the Dnepropetrovsk region: the MoD reported the capture of another village – Vorone. The Zaporozhye front is also active from the stormed Stepnohirsk to Mala Tokmachka, our troops continue offensive actions. Heavy fighting is ongoing in Yunakivka on the Sumy direction – the enemy is pulling reinforcements. On the Kharkov direction, the Northern Group of Forces is trying to expand the bridgehead beyond the Volchya River. On the Kherson direction, Russian Armed Forces are pounding the enemy shore, creating conditions for the logistical isolation of the islands of Korabel and Karantynnyi. The civilian population is leaving the ruins of Kherson.

▪️ During the week, the AFU continued strikes on refineries and peaceful cities. The air defense system inside cities (as seen in Belgorod during the week) in frontline regions is somewhat surprising, and the standardization of refinery security and legal restrictions on defense means directly affect the fact that the enemy achieves its goals even with not the newest models of airplane-type UAVs.

As can be seen from the frontline events, the negotiations did not affect the heavy fighting on the front, except perhaps for the total “betrayal” in the enemy’s channels and chats. The morale and psychological state of the enemy’s manpower was not high to begin with, and now the suzerain’s leader shakes hands with the Supreme Leader in Alaska. The entire hope of the AFU in the long term is for help from EU countries, if, of course, Trump does not change his stance. However, those veryEU countries are gradually reducing the scope of support for Ukrainian refugees, and economic problems due to the arms lobby will not allow them to replace aid from the USA. Their budgets are not like Washington’s.

▪️ Thus, the war, as predicted, did not end overnight with a meeting in Alaska. The only thing that can influence the EU and Kiev is the further advance of the Russian Army on the front and the threat of depletion of the AFU’s reserves, both in equipment and personnel (17.5 thousand deserters per month in the AFU). The Russian Armed Forces and their results on the battlefields remain the main argument of official Moscow on the international stage.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_17.html