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The West is preparing Ukraine to accept the loss of territory. There is a growing operational crisis within the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Pokrovsk. There has been increased activity by the Russian Armed Forces in the Chernihiv region. The Ukrainian army is undergoing a process of reform in an effort to increase its combat effectiveness despite extremely limited human and material resources.
Political situation
In an interview with The Telegraph on 20 September 2025, US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg urged Ukraine to accept the reality of its territorial losses.
‘Ukraine must start looking at things realistically and recognise that the territories liberated by Russia are irretrievably lost. You have to accept reality. De facto does not mean de jure. Let’s look back at history again. We never recognised Soviet control over the Baltic States, even though they were de facto part of the USSR.’
The US leadership is attempting to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his inner circle into bringing the conflict to a swift conclusion. This indicates a split in the position of the united West, as European leaders continue to insist on the war continuing. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that, in the near future, the European Union will have to support Ukraine financially and militarily alone. The increased financial burden on European countries will, of course, be borne by ordinary taxpayers. Combined with the already less-than-ideal economic situation in a number of EU countries, such as Germany, tax increases pose a significant risk to living standards in the near future.
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Reform plans for Ukraine’s armed forces
On 20 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the national armed forces’ plans to create assault troops. This reform will see the most combat-ready, fully staffed and equipped units and formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine come under a single command. The assault troops will form a separate branch of the Armed Forces and will most likely receive priority supplies. During the reform, the Ukrainian army command plans to expand the drone component in the new structure.
The creation of assault troops as a single entity may indicate several trends within the Ukrainian army. The main one is the depletion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s offensive and overall combat potential. A critical shortage of personnel, armoured vehicles and strike assets is forcing the Ukrainian command to exercise strict centralised control over the most combat-ready units. These units will likely serve as firefighting teams, called upon to quell increasingly frequent tactical and operational crises in various areas along the front, such as Pokrovsk and Krasnolymansk, where Russian army units are achieving the greatest success.
An interesting parallel can be drawn with the Wehrmacht and SS troops in 1944. Faced with the growing operational skills of the Soviet army, an increase in the number of front breakthroughs and depleted human and material resources, the German command began forming assault battalions (Sturmbataillone), such as the 1st SS Sturmbrigade and the assault battalion of the SS Division Das Reich. Their main task was to counterattack Red Army units that had broken through the lines. While the assault battalions and brigades enjoyed some tactical success, they could no longer influence the course of the war. Then, in 1945, Germany was forced to recruit teenagers into special Hitler Youth combat units — a last-ditch effort. Might we expect the mobilisation age in Ukraine to be lowered to 18 in the coming months?
The second reason is most likely preparation for an offensive in a narrow and secondary direction by the Russian army. This occurred last year during the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ invasion of the Kursk region. However, Ukraine will only be able to launch an offensive if it receives increased military support from the European Union. It should be noted that the military-industrial complexes of European powers are physically incapable of meeting the Ukrainian army’s needs for high-intensity combat operations. Furthermore, since Donald Trump became president, the US has not approved the provision of free military aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. All current deliveries are being made in accordance with decrees from the previous Biden administration.
Therefore, the most likely reason for creating assault troops is to preserve the remaining combat potential.
Nevertheless, the situation on the ground in the Ukrainian conflict remains challenging for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in key areas along the front line. The Ukrainian command has not yet definitively resolved the tactical and operational crises that have arisen.
Sumy sector – The situation remains difficult in this area, with intense fighting ongoing between the opposing sides. Russian army marine units are advancing through the forests near Varachino.
Strike drone activity remains high. Near the village of Rzhanoye, Russian Armed Forces units used a Lancet strike UAV to attack a Ukrainian engineering vehicle.
Chernihiv sector – Russian troops are systematically destroying Ukrainian Armed Forces’ anti-aircraft missile systems in areas of intense combat operations and in relatively calm border regions such as Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. On 20 September, near the village of Progress, an Iskander-M missile strike hit the position of an S-300PS air defence missile system, which included a radar guidance system, two launchers, a combat control cabin and two vehicles.
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Russian Geran-2 UAVs launched a major attack on Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities in the Chernihiv region. Reports also suggest that transport and energy infrastructure was damaged, including in the village of Bakhmach. Notably, the strike was carried out during the day in clear weather, despite the fact that Gerans typically fly at night. The successful destruction of targets suggests that Ukrainian air defences in this area are extremely weak.
The night-time attack also damaged fuel tanks in the town of Nezhin, and the resulting fire burned throughout the night. It is unclear whether this was in response to recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian fuel facilities. However, the increased frequency of Russian strikes in the Chernihiv region suggests that the Russian Armed Forces are showing a greater interest in this area of Ukraine.
In addition, the Russian army has started carrying out psychological operations in this area. Using UAVs, they are distributing leaflets disguised as Ukrainian money, calling for assistance in targeting Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities. It is possible that the successful strikes mentioned above are the result of these measures.
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Kharkiv sector – Although this section of the front is not a priority for the Russian command, the aerospace forces continue to strike targets belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Volchansk area. On 20 September, four aerial bombs from a UMPC hit the Ukrainian Army’s 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade’s temporary deployment point.
Krasnolymanskoye sector – Reports suggest that Ukrainian Armed Forces units are retreating from the village of Shandrigolovo towards the settlements of Derilovo and Drobyshevo. Consequently, Russian troops are now threatening the city of Liman from the north. The extensive network of reservoirs and rivers in this area is making it difficult for Russian Armed Forces assault groups to advance, but the offensive continues. If Liman falls quickly, the way to Slavyansk, a key city in the Donetsk region, will be open.
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The Ukrainian Armed Forces have also been driven out of the fish farm area between Yampolovka and Torske and from the north-eastern outskirts of Kirovsk (Zarechny). The enemy is being pushed back to the western outskirts of Kirovsk (Zarechny).
Intense fighting is taking place in the Yampil area. Russian assault groups are taking advantage of the terrain, particularly the forest bordering the northern part of the settlement. There, troops can gather relatively safely and out of sight of the enemy. The Ukrainian army is counterattacking in an effort to stabilise the front line.
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Pokrovskoye sector – On 21 September, advance units of the Russian army entered the village of Novopavlovka, which is located southwest of Pokrovsk. This allowed them to get very close to the city’s buildings. Consequently, Russian Armed Forces units are now fighting for the city from three directions: the southwest, the south and the southeast. The command hopes to split up the Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk, which could speed up their withdrawal from the city.
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The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to attempt to stop the advance of Russian units towards Rodninskoe and Kucherov Yar. In an attempt to ‘cut off’ the salient, Ukrainian forces advanced 900 metres from Vladimirovka towards Novotoretsk. They were also able to expand their zone of control by 3.5 km in the Nikanorivka area. However, this is insufficient to accomplish the tasks at hand. The Ukrainian counteroffensive is being actively countered by Russian UAV crews.
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Conclusion: The US administration continues to distance itself demonstratively from supporting Ukraine, pushing its leadership to accept Russian army control over the occupied territories as a fait accompli. With support from Western countries, particularly the US, waning, Ukrainian leaders are working to reform their armed forces in order to preserve their remaining combat potential and transform it into a separate unit – assault troops. However, it is still highly unlikely that they will be used as a unified strike force anywhere along the front line. The most realistic scenario for the deployment of these new units is to address operational and tactical crises on the front line.
There has been increased interest from the Russian Armed Forces in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, which may indicate preparations for an operation of some kind.
The situation on the front lines remains difficult, with intense combat operations ongoing. At the same time, Krasnolymanskoye and Pokrovskoye have become the “hottest” areas, where Russian army units have achieved the greatest success.
america is losing every war it involves itself into. including the war on poverty (ie poor people) and the war on drugs (ie against black people). and the result of tech war with china does not look promising.
maybe the us need to stop producing so much retarded bozos that spout ridiculous nonsense even on these commentaries. easier to control probably, but not helpful at all when intelligence is the main commodity of the 21st century.
china ended poverty in 10 years time. 1 billion people are the benefactors. when i investigate the source of all wars, poverty, colonialism / piracy the bank of england is always involved. freedom from england day, is the most celibated international holiday on earth. f.y.i. the bank of england was formed about the year 1022. perhaps we have no need for central banks ! they have no usefulness to humanity.
if that grouping gets encircled near mirnograd, the commander in that area should be sacked immediately. that’s such an obvious place to attack, even the most amateurish armchair generals would have seen it coming.
amerikan desperation —burgerland despised isolated…these talibanned idiots are masochists
nato will bomb a russian fighterjet soon on baltic airspace near kaliningrad.
baltic countries will bomb a russian fighterjet soon.
they will take turkey’s 2014 downing of a russian plane as an example
it’s time for usa-nato to take kaliningrad (or destroy it)…heheheh
weak feminized transgender amerikans cannot take taliban…😂
every day since 2022 february the idiots at southfront have predicted a total ukrainian collapse…heheheh
putin strategy to save only dombas is wasting of time and military failure cost involved.taking out whole of ukraine will stop france,usa and britain provocation should stop his arrogance and recall general armageddon stop resolving wagner like he did with syria tiger forces to their detriment
we pay superior mulatto gays to use our anuz—while russia humiliates us in former ukraine