Some of Vitaly’s observations based on the data he compiles (just a reminder, this is based on the UA GS reports):
You can see the full/enlarged charts in his post
here. This is very peculiar because Ukraine is reporting the lowest Russian losses in over a year, while the rate of capturing territory seems to be on par with fall of last year.
Most recent Kursk losses update from
Naalsio:
Ukraine
attacked the Patriot Park near Moscow:
Excellent planning and use of resources! This guy has the right idea (reminds me of someone):
Another video of a Ukrainian wire drone flying inside a well-prepared Russian dugout. I posted a similar one not that long ago. Doors of some kind appear to be a must-have in these constructions. Or a net of some kind at the entrance. Something.
Same on Telegram:
Знищення ворожого бліндажа: професійна робота пілотів батальйону «SIGNUM» Лиманський напрямок ▪️Бійці батальйону «SIGNUM» продемонстрували виняткову майстерність під час виконання бойового завдання. У складних умовах, серед лісистої місцевості, вони виявили укриття ворожих пілотів — вхід в...
t.co
And here is, I believe, the first video of a Ukrainian (allegedly) assault on motorcycles (from the Skala regiment that I mentioned just the other day). It’s in Ukrainian, but you can probably hear the “intense” commentary, which is quite different from the Russian “meat assaults” doing basically the same thing. The idea of what they are saying is pretty much we rode really fast (flew) and established a position or something like that (from memory).
Zaluzhny offering some common sense today:
The article cited can be read
here (in English).
The guy who is watching too many brutal videos
disagrees:
Personally, I think he’s getting his brain fried with watching all the stuff he is watching (not that he had ever displayed any “brilliancy”). The conviction and “expertise” he shows is rather amazing though (definitely more profitable than baseball stats sites that he ran before the war though?). But his audience keeps demanding answers:
Zelensky
proposed a free trade agreement to Trump:
Is there anyone else who misreads the Trump and his administration this much? Especially the part about the Ukrainian manufacturers needing access to wealthier market. Imagine!
This article talks about the latest EU sanctions package affecting the Russian LNG exports. What I found most interesting is that Russia basically buys newly built LNG transport ships and safely transfers them to their “shadow fleet”, thanks to the sanctions.
In a surprise move the EU significantly tightened its sanctions against Russia’s liquefied natural gas sector. Brussels’ 17th sanctions package announced yesterday includes three newbuild LNG carriers managed by Japanese Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. (MOL) under charter with Russian energy projects.
gcaptain.com
A (part of the) statement from Yermak:
Our position is clear: the first step should be an agreement on the exchange of prisoners in the "1000 for 1000" format. The second - determining the place for the next meeting with representatives of the Russian Federation.
Провів онлайн-розмову з дипломатичними представниками лідерів країн Північної Європи та Балтії. Координуємо наші позиції щодо переговорів про досягнення справедливого та сталого миру для України. Поінформував колег про останні події — перемовини в Стамбулі, зустрічі Президента України в Італії...
t.me
I am not sure I understand this entirely, but he is implying that there was no actual agreement made on the exchange of prisoners. Russians, in turn, insist that Ukraine doesn’t even have 1,000 prisoners to exchange (
source in Russian). This isn’t a good development, but I do not find it all that surprising and don’t automatically assume in this case that the Russian proposition here to be fundamentally wrong or simple propaganda. I talked about it previously - I don’t believe Ukraine has as many PoWs in their possession - and I was quite surprised when I heard the number after the RU-UA meeting. Hopefully, this is (and I am) wrong.
A good thread from Clement Molin on the Russian summer offensive:
@clement_molin: Russian armed forces started their first strategically important maneuver of 2025. After months of preparation, Russian army is trying to cut the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka frontline, breaching the D...…
threadreaderapp.com
An article from RUSI on the subject of the Russian summer offensive:
Russia will seek to intensify offensive operations to build pressure during negotiations, but the pressure cannot be sustained indefinitely.
www.rusi.org
In other news:
Ukraine will ask the EU next week to consider big new steps to isolate Moscow, including seizing Russian assets and bringing in sanctions for some buyers of Russian oil, as U.S. President Donald Trump has backed off from tightening sanctions.
A previously unreported Ukrainian white paper to be presented to the EU calls for the 27-member bloc to take a more aggressive and independent position on sanctions as uncertainty hangs over Washington's future role.
Among 40 pages of recommendations were calls to adopt legislation that would speed up the EU's seizure of assets from sanctioned individuals, and send them to Ukraine. Those under sanctions could then seek compensation from Russia.
The EU should consider a range of steps to make its sanctions apply more forcefully beyond its own territory, including targeting foreign companies that use its technology to help Russia, and "the introduction of secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil".
Such secondary sanctions, which could hit big buyers such as India and China, would be a major step that Europe has so far been reluctant to take. Trump had publicly discussed this before taking the decision not to act for now.
The white paper also calls for the EU to consider using more majority-rules decision making over sanctions, to prevent individual member states from blocking measures that otherwise require unanimity.
These secondary sanctions are not going to happen. And Ukraine is telling the EU how to run the EU, again. I think I already discussed it previously, but imagine Ukraine being in the EU. Which is one of the reasons this is unlikely to happen any time “soon” either.
