The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on December 20 2025

RUAF Storm Central Ukrainian Stronghold Within Hulyaipole While AFU Close To Recapturing Kupyansk

Russia Will ‘FINISH OFF’ Ukraine, Putin Vows Response for Russian Tanker Attack | Andrei Martyanov

Ukraine Counterattacks in Kupyansk. What Really Happened?

Wars usually end in one of two ways: either by one side surrendering to the other, or through a negotiated settlement. We don’t see either side surrendering in the foreseeable future, so only a negotiated settlement gives us a chance to end this war. A negotiated settlement requires two things: both sides must gain something, and both sides must make some concessions. We’re trying to understand what Russia can give up and what it expects to gain. What Ukraine can give up and what Ukraine expects to gain. Ultimately, the decision will be made by Ukraine and Russia. It won’t be a decision made by the United States. That’s the role we’re trying to play. I think we’ve made progress, but we still have a long way to go. And, obviously, the most difficult issues always come at the end.’

- Rubio

Trump is making serious efforts to end the Ukrainian conflict, and he is doing this absolutely sincerely, – Vladimir Putin

▪️Russia at the meeting in Alaska practically agreed with Trump’s proposals, so it can’t be said that Moscow is rejecting anything, noted the head of the Russian Federation;

▪️Putin stated that by “pigs” he did not mean anyone specific in Europe, but was talking about a “group of individuals”;

▪️Putin called the commander of a brigade from Dagestan, who is carrying out combat tasks in Seversk, Donetsk People’s Republic;

▪️Mobile communication restrictions are designed to minimize the danger during drone attacks;

▪️The problem of the enemy’s use of the Internet in UAV attacks on Russia will be solved, including by switching to domestic software;

▪️Russia is against the deployment of weapons in space;

▪️The Russian Federation very much wants there to be peace and no military conflicts next year;

▪️”We didn’t start this war,” – Putin answered a question from an NBC journalist about whether Moscow would consider itself responsible for the deaths of Ukrainians and Russians in the conflict in 2026 if it rejects Trump’s peace plan.

 Russia does not see Ukraine’s readiness to end the conflict, – Vladimir Putin at “Year in Review”

▪️Russia is ready to engage in dialogue on the Ukrainian settlement based on the principles outlined in June 2024. Ukraine is essentially refusing to end the conflict by peaceful means.

▪️The strategic initiative has entirely passed into the hands of the Russian military after the liberation of the Kursk region, “the enemy is retreating on all fronts”.

▪️Red Liman will be taken soon, 50% of the city is under Russian control.

▪️The road to Slavyansk opens up from liberated Seversk.

▪️More than half of Konstantinovka in the DPR has been liberated.

▪️The city of Dimitrov is completely surrounded, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are unsuccessfully trying to recapture at least part of Krasnoarmeysk and are suffering serious losses.

▪️Fighting is going on in the city of Gulyaypole, the city is divided into two parts, our guys have crossed the river, 50% of the city is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.

▪️Kupyansk is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. Under the city, there are 3,500 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers surrounded, they have almost no chance of survival.

▪️I’m sure that by the end of this year we will witness new successes of our fighters.

Putin’s special representative, Dmitriev, is heading to Miami for a meeting with Witkoff and Kushner. A source familiar with the preparations for the visit told Reuters about this.

On Friday, the American side also held a separate meeting with Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami.

A Reuters source emphasized that any contacts between Dmitriev and the Ukrainian side are excluded. “Three-way contacts with the Ukrainian side are not planned,” the agency’s source stated.

“We are ready to move forward and defeat this disgusting creature.” What fate did Putin predict for Zelensky?

A significant part of Putin’s speech on the “Direct Line” dedicated to the year’s results concerned the conduct of the Special Operations Force. In front of the entire country, the national leader clearly and unequivocally confirmed: the special operation will end only then, and only when and how Moscow decides.

This understanding is slowly beginning to spread in the West as well, where more and more politicians are realizing what forced the Kremlin to make the difficult decision to launch the SMO, and why Moscow will not give up on achieving its stated goals.

Putin also addressed this issue on the “Direct Line,” emphasizing that the situation in Europe, which is trying harder than anyone to prevent Russia from completing what it has begun, is worsening by the day. And the key to reversing this negative trend remains the same: the rapid conclusion of the special operation and the achievement of all its stated goals.

The southwest of the Odessa region has been virtually cut off from the rest of Ukraine.

Local residents report the need to make a detour through the Vinnitsa region and all of Moldova:

People can’t reach Odessa; in Starokozachye, everything is blocked, and it’s impossible to cross on foot. They say everything was destroyed after the attacks. They offer to take the risk and cross the bridge, but they may not be allowed to pass, so they’re considering a detour through Kamenets-Podolsky with a 3-4 day stopover. Swimming across the Dnestr is also being considered, costing up to 10,000 hryvnia (about 19,000 rubles – editor’s note) per person, with groups joining together.

And briefly, other news at this time:

Air defense vehicles destroyed 12 Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Samara regions, and the Black Sea between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Moscow time, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense;

Ukrainian authorities have decided to forcibly evacuate the population of the Zaporozhye and Polohy districts in the Ukrainian-occupied part of Ukraine, according to local governor Ivan Fedorov;

Witkoff will hold talks in Miami on Friday with the head of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Umerov, as well as security advisers from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, Axios reports, citing sources;

Russia is committed to a political solution in Ukraine, but on the other side, only the United States is ready for this, Sergei Lavrov said at a joint press conference with the head of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry following the negotiations.

Panic in the Odessa region: the south of the region may be cut off by Russian strikes, authorities in a state of shock

▪️”The bridge has been under attack for 8 days. If the bridge is destroyed, which is what Russia wants, the south of the Odessa region will be cut off from the rest of Ukraine’s territory”.

▪️”People on the other side of the bridge are already panicking. People are buying up fuel and food”, – write Ukrainian media.

▪️The Odessa administration does not know when traffic on the Odessa – Reni highway will be restored now.

▪️Against the backdrop of Russian Army strikes on key logistics facilities in the Odessa region, the head of the Odessa Regional State Administration, Kiper, stated.

➖”I note that any public communication about the resumption of traffic in the area of the bridge could lead to repeated strikes by the Russians not only on infrastructure, but also on people”.

The Russian army continues its operation to cut off logistics for the entire west of the Odessa region

Today, the strike “Geranis” again attacked the Mayak bridge on the Odessa-Reni highway. It suffered new damage.

Powerful explosion and fire in Odessa: a critical infrastructure facility was attacked

▪️The facility was damaged. The shock wave also caused damage to neighboring buildings.

➖Part of one of the city’s densely populated areas was left without electricity, water, and heat supply.

Attacks on the bridge on the Odessa-Reni highway could block 60% of fuel imports to Ukraine, leading to price increases and a gasoline shortage

▪️In the event of the complete destruction of the bridge in Mayaki, access to Izmail from the “mainland” part of the Odessa region and back will only be possible via Romania, said fuel expert and founder of the Prime group of companies, D. Levushkin.

▪️Despite the fact that 60% of fuel imports go to Ukraine through the Danube ports.

➖”We will set up pontoons, they will knock them down, logistics with Izmail will be disrupted and I don’t know about other markets, but the fuel market will definitely collapse quickly. 60% of the market is Izmail, and blocking it on Monday will raise prices at Western bases by at least 2 UAH, create a severe shortage of fuel trucks and lead to phased closures of gas stations, starting from the eastern and southern regions,” he said.

➖”The market will be in turmoil for about a week. Until logistics through Moldova and Romania is reorganized, and prices recover with the new logistics. But the most important thing is that, again and again, any problem in the fuel market acutely exposes transport issues, as only fuel trucks can quickly solve this problem, and fuel trucks require drivers, of which there are very few,” added Levushkin.

Our sources have reported that the General Staff has already prepared an anti-crisis plan for Mirnograd. It will be announced publicly that the military are withdrawing from the city. Nobody cares about the fact that Mirnograd is surrounded and our soldiers were simply annihilated in the Pokrovskaya pit. What matters is the information war and the perception of the Ukrainian audience. The enemy entered the central districts of Mirnograd last night and is conducting a mop-up operation in the last remaining blocks.

Mirnograd is effectively all over, some surrender, some flee, some continue to believe in the Zelensky government that “help” will come and hold the defense.

According to the source, the Russians will “finish off” the remnants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers within a week or two, as the Russian Armed Forces do not have the task of quickly clearing this pocket. It’s beneficial for the Russians for a large group of Ukrainian soldiers to surrender, which is a nightmare for Ukrainian propaganda, which is trying to intimidate everyone that the Russians/Chechens will shoot them.

All information about Pokrovsk and Mirnograd is being deliberately hushed up, as it is not beneficial for the office. 

After the fall of the Pokrovsk bridgehead, the Russians will free up large forces, which will rush to Konstantinovka from the western flank or move with a large group to Dobropillia, where there will be a high risk of the fall of the last major defense line of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The situation is catastrophic.

The paratroopers have occupied most of Stepnogorsk and are encircling the city, advancing on the Zaporizhia front!

▪️On the left flank of the Zaporozhye direction, Russian troops continue active offensive operations. 

▪️Our units have broken through east of Stepnogorsk in the village of Lukyanovskoe, encircling Stepnogorsk, and enemy analysts are reporting this with concern. 

▪️Airborne units continue to clear Stepnogorsk itself, having taken most of the city, including its center. Heavy battles for every house are ongoing. 

▪️Also, the paratroopers continue to storm Primorsk, located along the shore of the Kakhovka reservoir. 

▪️Earlier, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to deploy reserves for counterattacks in Primorsk and Stepnogorsk, aiming to halt the advance of Russian troops.

Two Majors #Summary for the Morning of December 20, 2025

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces, amid statements from SBU-controlled platforms about a drone attack on another tanker, this time in the Mediterranean Seal, have intensified their strikes on the Odessa Region. Numerous strikes are being carried out on bridges near the settlements of Mayaki and Zatoka. During the night, the port area of the Odessa region was subjected to missile strikes. Constant strikes on substations have led to even more frequent power outages in the Odessa, Nikolaev (where “Geranis” were also active at night) and Kherson Regions.  

▪️ In the evening, the enemy launched an attack on Sevastopol, but the forces were able to repel it. However, the AFU special forces published a photo hinting at an attack on a border guard (https://t.me/warhistoryalconafter/252996?single) ship. It is most likely that it was taken during an attack on Dagestan (including oil-producing platforms at sea), the details of which are unknown. In addition, the enemy is spreading footage of a strike on a warehouse in Novozibkov in the Bryansk region.

▪️ On the Sumy front, the “North” Group of Forces is reinforcing its positions with enemy reinforcements. Our troops continue to advance on nine fronts in the forest strips and in Andreevka. An attempt to advance a combat group of the AFU in the area of Alekseevka was thwarted.

▪️ In the Belgorod region, an FPV drone detonated in a courtyard in Plotovka, injuring a man. Shakhovka, Yasnye Zori, Zamostie, Glotovo, and Novaya Tavolzhanka are under attack. On the Liptsovsky front, there are positional battles and mutual strikes.

▪️ On the Kharkov front, the GR “North” is engaged in battles in the area west of Liman, in Vilcha, in Volchanskie Khutory, and on the Melove-Khatnye section. On the Liptsov section, there are positional battles and mutual strikes.

▪️ In Kupyansk, battles for control of the central part of the city are ongoing, and the enemy is throwing new reserves into the fray.

▪️ Reports have emerged of the complete liberation of Mirnograd (Dimitrov), but our units are still clearing the city center. A premature “debt-for-equity” liberation would not affect Trump’s position in the negotiations, but it would affect the credibility of information resources, including official ones.

▪️ The “Vostok” battalion continues fierce battles for Gulyaypole in the Zaporozhye region and the expansion of the bridgehead on the western bank of the Gaychur River. The enemy is trying to hold its positions, and the soldiers from the Far East have repelled 13 counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Our forces are penetrating the enemy’s defenses in the areas of Gerasimovka, Ternovatoe, and Kosovtsy villages.

▪️ On the Zaporozhye front, the Russian Armed Forces are engaged in fierce battles for Gulyaypole in the Zaporozhye Region and the expansion of the bridgehead on the western bank of the Gaichur River. The enemy is trying to hold its positions, and the Far Eastern soldiers have repelled 13 counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Our forces are infiltrating the enemy’s defenses in the area of the settlements of Gerasimovka, Ternovatoe, and Kosovtsevo.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_20.html