The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Dec. 3 that Russian forces had “highly likely” made small advances south of Bakhmut in recent days after five months of trying to capture the besieged town in Donetsk Oblast.
The ministry said that Russia likely plans to encircle Bakhmut with “tactical advances to the north and the south,” investing a significant portion of its military effort in capturing the town.
After Russia's battlefield defeats in Ukraine’s northeast and the south, “there is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut’s capture has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia,” it added.
While seizing Bakhmut could allow Russia to launch more attacks on urban areas such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast, it would have “limited operational value," according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
“The campaign has been disproportionately costly relative to these possible gains,” the report reads.
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Monday, August 25
"I can't imagine a better gift for (Russia's President Vladimir) Putin's troops than cutting off Ukraine from the Internet," Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said.
"By taking part in a festival that brings together (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's supporters and mouthpieces, Allen is deliberately turning a blind eye to the atrocities that Russia has been committing in Ukraine every day for 11 years," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.
The move underscores Norway’s growing role in supporting Ukraine’s defense as Western partners move closer to finalizing security guarantees amid a push to organize a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow.
"We would like to understand from the American side whether the Russians are ready — and in what format — for a bilateral, and eventually trilateral, meeting," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
A source close to Zaluzhnyi told the Guardian that his refusal was a "principled position" and a sign of unity, reflecting Ukraine’s feeling of having been "humiliated."
But another recent announcement may make the "Long Neptune" slightly redundant.
The video showing Russia’s fuel crisis, water shortages in occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and Russia's military losses, was aired simultaneously on 116 television channels on Ukraine's Independence Day, according to the source.
Ukrainian forces downed 76 out of the 104 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.
The aircraft, operated by Egyptian carrier AlMasria Universal Airlines, had departed from Sharm El Sheikh and landed in Tallinn at 5:33 a.m. local time. It was able to continue its journey to St. Petersburg nearly six hours later.
The number includes 870 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
In an interview with ABC News on Aug. 24, former CIA Director and retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus cast doubt on both the likelihood of a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and on Putin's willingness to negotiate in good faith.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News on Aug. 24, U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and claimed that Russia has made "significant concessions" during peace talks.
Monday, August 25
Kyiv and Budapest exchanged sharp rhetoric after tensions escalated following a Ukrainian strike on Russian oil infrastructure, which disrupted flows through a critical pipeline supplying Hungary.
