Ukraine potpourri

Latest military events

Kursk invasion by Ukrainian army (AFU) has come to its end and the results are horrible: over 70,000 Ukrainian servicemen and foreign mercenaries killed or severely wounded as well as over thousand pieces of hardware destroyed, majority of them western vehicles and heavy weapons.

48 Hours Remaining💢 Crushing Flank Assaults⚡1st Corps Enters the Battle⚔️Military Summary 2025.04.18

Thunder⚡️US Reveals SHOCKING Ukraine Plan💥 Russia Launches FULL-SCALE OFFENSIVE⚔️🔥 MS For 2025.04.18

Over the first week in April, Russian troops have intensified offensive operations across nearly the entire frontline, achieving important gains while inflicting heavy losses on the Ukrainian military. The most intense fighting has centered on the Krasny Liman-Chasiv Yar axis, the Pokrovsk sector, and the increasingly critical Sumy direction, where Moscow’s forces continue expanding their cross-border foothold.

Ukraine Confirms Sumy Strike Target, April 13. There was a ceremony planned by the head of the Sumy Oblast State Administration Volodymyr Artiukh for the seventh anniversary of the founding of the 117th Territorial Brigade. This was to take place in the congress center of the Sumy State University. Medals were to be presented for the recent participation of the brigade in the attack on the Russian oblast of Kursk. Invitations to the commanders of neighboring units were sent out. The Russian military got wind of the event and destroyed the congress center with two Iskander missiles. The government of Ukraine essentially confirmed that today by removing Artiukh from his position: The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the dismissal of Volodymyr Artiukh from the post of head of Sumy Oblast State Administration and the appointment of Oleh Hryhorov to this position.

April 14, A technology designed to jam the Starlink satellite communication signal, which the Ukrainian military has been using for various purposes – including targeting and adjusting HIMARS MLRS strikes – has begun to be successfully implemented in the Kherson Region, Governor Vladimir Saldo has told. Starlink is a global satellite communication project developed by SpaceX, a company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk. Musk himself remarked in early March that Starlink is the backbone of the Ukrainian army, and if it were to be shut down, Ukraine’s entire frontline would be in collapse risk.

The second week of April in Ukraine was marked by Russian victories. Russian troops continue to make incremental but tactically significant gains across several sectors of the front, breaking through Ukraine’s stretched defenses and dwindling reserves. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported significant advances across multiple fronts during the past week of operations. Russian forces conducted a series of precision strikes targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure, including defense industry facilities, airfield installations, and weapons storage depots. These attacks particularly focused on disrupting Ukraine’s drone production capabilities and foreign mercenary training centers.

Regarding Ukrainian average troops losses (KIA, WIA, MIA), the estimates have been oscillating between10,000 – 15,000 servicemen weekly. On April 18, Russia and Ukraine conducted again an exchange of bodies of dead soldiers, with Kyiv receiving 909 bodies of Ukrainian troops. In return, Russia received 41 of its fallen servicemen, continuing a lopsided pattern that has persisted for months. The numbers of exchanged bodies confirm the strategic disproportion in losses. The Ukrainian military is losing at least ten times more soldiers. Trying to hide this dangerous fact from population, Ukrainian authorities agree to exchange the equal number of prisoners of war to create the image of balance.

The latest casualty data of Mediazona (March 28, 2025) confirms the above-mentioned ratio 10 to 1, which means total irrevocable troops losses of AFU have exceeded a million Ukrainian servicemen and the corresponding figure of RuAF is up to 120-130,000.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 661 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 52,592 unmanned aerial vehicles, 603 surface-to-air missile systems, 22,920 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,541 multiple rocket launchers, 23,820 field artillery guns and mortars and 34,317 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the Russian defense ministry reported.

Latest political events

Ukrainian playground

Growth of Ukraine’s Azov Units follow path of the Waffen-SS. The rise of Nazism in Germany was accompanied by the rise of its armed militants. These were used to fight opposing political parties and militia formations. The units were later known as the Waffen-SS. The Waffen-SS was not part of the regular army. It had its own financial resources. It recruited and trained its own officers through Nazi youth organizations.

There are a lot of parallels between the rise of the Waffen SS and the Ukrainian Nazi formation known as Azov. Azov started as a violent hooligan gang in Kharkov. It mixed Nordic myth and Nazi ideology. It found rich oligarchs as sponsors and in exchange provided them with the necessary muscles to solve ‘business conflicts’. It has its own youth organization and international network.

Already in 2014, after the US (CIA) instigated a coup against the elected government of Ukraine, the fascist background of the newly installed government was shining through. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, selected by the State Department’s Victoria Nuland, designated the Russian speaking people in east Ukraine who opposed him as “subhumans”, that is “Untermenschen” in German Nazi speak. In December 2014, even the BBC and other western media warned of the growing Nazi menace in Ukraine. The volunteer Azov Battalion was a case in point. Ukraine’s media have been noticeably silent on this subject. A year after the 2014 coup, CIA secretly started to train Ukrainian paramilitary groups for an insurgency against an eventual Russian invasion.

Azov was incorporated into the country’s National Guard in 2014, owing to its effectiveness in fighting Russian separatists. US arms have flowed to the militia, NATO and US military officials have been meeting with them and members of the militia have talked about their work with US trainers. CIA support for Ukrainian Nazis has a long history.

Meanwhile western media who had previously condemned Nazi units in Ukraine started to whitewash them. Recently the New York Times, like many other western outlets, has changed its language when reporting about the Ukrainian Asov Battalion.

During the war Azov has grown through active recruiting from “the Azov Battalion, a Ukrainian neo-Nazi paramilitary organization” into the Azov Regiment and after losing in Mariupol, into a brigade size unit. It has since, like the Waffen-SS previously, continued to grow and has now reached the size of a corps.

The very first corps formation within the National Guard is now a reality. On April 15, 2025, the Azov Brigade, along with several other National Guard units, officially announced the establishment of the new 1st “Azov” Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard, marking the creation of the Guard’s first operational corps. The formation of a corps is based on the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov” has been anticipated for many months. The 12th Brigade, now the 1st Azov Corps, is the main fascist unit in the National Guard.

Another Azov unit, the 3rd Brigade is part of the regular Ukrainian military. It is also designated to expand into a corps: According to Yuriy Butusov, the 3rd Assault Brigade will be restructured into the 3rd Army Corps. The new formation will be led by none other than Andriy Biletsky, the founder of the brigade and the Azov movement.

Already the two Azov corps are the world’s largest armed neo-Nazi formation. They are growing further through their own recruiting structures and youth organizations as well as by absorbing other ‘nationalist’ units. These forces will become a serious danger for Europe. A heavily Nazified army right on the EU’s border that will turn against European countries for “stabbing them in the back” as soon as the war comes to an end. Ukraine will be a real security threat to Europe.

Ukrainian parliament made in mid-April two important decision to extend Martial Law and Mobilization Law with 90 days.

Ukraine had finally agreed a mineral framework deal with Washington. An agreement that would see the US invest in Ukraine’s recovery, in return for a share of the country’s future profits from its natural resources, energy infrastructure and its oil and gas.

Ukraine Extends Martial Law and Mobilization📜✊ Russians Storm Kalynove⚔️ Military Summary 2025.04.12

European playground … and a bit of the US too

Peace in Ukraine is “out of reach in the immediate future,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned Friday, April 11, as allies pledged a record €21 billion in new military aid to Kyiv. The record pledge of military assistance includes £4.5 billion which the UK has committed for this year, as well as a further €11 billion from Germany. The summit, held at NATO headquarters in Brussels, was hosted jointly by Germany and the UK. The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participated via video link and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov insisted America was still seen as a “prime partner” in the fight against Russia. But there was broader concern about the future of the US security role in Europe.

On April 17, French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with the US secretary of state and US Special Envoy Steven Witkoff in Paris. According to the Elysee Palace, the constructive talks helped to converge positions on resolving the Ukraine conflict. During their visit, Rubio and Witkoff also met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, German Chancellor’s Foreign Policy Adviser Jens Ploetner, and the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, Andrey Yermak. Another meeting of representatives from the five countries is scheduled for next week in London, AFP reported.

April 18, The United States’ peace proposals on Ukraine suggest, Bloomberg reported citing sources. The contours of the US plan were shared during meetings in Paris on Thursday attended by representatives of the UK, the US, Ukraine, and France, according to sources.

The peace proposals presented by the US to its allies in Paris imply easing of anti-Russia sanctions and all territories liberated by Russia remain under Moscow’s control, while “Kyiv’s aspirations of joining NATO would be off the table”. Washington’s plans, which need to be further discussed, wouldn’t amount to a definitive settlement, according to the report. The US officials noted at the Paris meeting that they wanted to secure a full ceasefire in Ukraine within weeks.

US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff has said that at his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he discussed the territorial aspect of the Ukraine conflict and that the issue could be partially resolved in Russia’s favor. Witkoff said that he had already held three meetings with Putin. Witkoff noted that Putin wanted “permanent peace.” According to the US envoy, the “so-called five territories” (Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions) are crucial for resolving the conflict.

Putin has repeatedly called for resolving the Ukraine conflict, highlighting the need to take Russia’s interests into account when addressing the root causes of the crisis. According to him, this is the only way to establish long-term peace, which is what Moscow wants.

April 18, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that: Having spent three years and billions of dollars to support Ukraine, the United States has reached a point where it has other things to focus on. Both US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened to pull out of brokering a ceasefire until progress appeared quickly. Donald Trump has said the US will “take a pass” on brokering further Russia-Ukraine talks if Moscow or Kyiv “make it very difficult” to reach a peace deal.

The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he was not expecting a truce to happen in “a specific number of days” but he wanted it done “quickly”. His comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US would abandon talks unless there were clear signs of progress within days. “We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said, adding that the US had “other priorities to focus on”.

The United States has given the Europeans and Ukrainians a deadline to end their efforts to sabotage a peace deal with Russia. If they refuse, the United States is going to pull chocks and focus its attention on Iran and China. Marco Rubio gave the same message to Mark Rutte.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of a new peace proposal delivered to the Ukrainian delegation in Paris and to Russian officials by phone. In a statement released by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rubio expressed President Trump’s hope that the proposal will lead to a lasting peace in Ukraine.

If either side continued to block the ceasefire process, the US would stop facilitating a peace deal, Trump said Friday at a press conference in the Oval Office — without clarifying if he thought it was Russia or Ukraine which were hampering talks. “If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people’ and we’re going to take a pass,” Trump told reporters.

NATO’s activities

NATO’s direct involvement in the Ukrainian war has been known from the outset, although the western media have tried to hide it as much as possible.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine recently intensified their attempts to attack the Crimean Peninsula with drones. The Ukrainian military is not alone in its effort, as the strikes are ongoing after an unprecedented reconnaissance operation of NATO aircraft in the Black Sea region. Russian air defenses successfully destroyed multiple Ukrainian UAVs in separate engagements over Crimea on April 16th alone.

These strikes followed a massive NATO intelligence operation that saw the Black Sea crowded with the West’s most advanced surveillance aircraft last weekend. Seven NATO aircraft participated in simultaneous monitoring and surveillance operations of the Black Sea region, accompanied by eight more tactical aircraft and four tankers. The weekend’s surveillance mission allowed to collect critical data on Russian air defenses and military infrastructure.

The operation involved U-2S of the US Air Force, P-8A of the US Navy, E-3A of the NATO Airborne Forces, E-3F of the French Air Force, Atlantic 2 of the French Navy, as well as the French carrier-based aircraft E-2D, which took off from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean. Four Rafale M fighters came to the area, as well as an RC-135 of the British Air Force that arrived from the UK, accompanied by Typhoon fighters. All of these aircraft operated 130 km south of Sevastopol.

The Ukrainian army continues to lose expensive aircraft. On April 12, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the destruction of an F-16 fighter along with 26-year-old pilot Captain Pavel Ivanov. The destruction of the plane along with the pilot was also confirmed by President Zelensky. This is the second officially confirmed loss of the F-16 fighter for Ukraine. The first occurred on August 26, 2024, when pilot Alexei Mes was killed while repelling a massive missile strike. The Bulgarian military sources have reported that out of 6 F-16s transferred to Ukraine so far, five were lost for various reasons.

In mid-April, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has vehemently rejected the Franco-British proposal to send a “multinational peacekeeping contingent” to Ukraine, labeling it as utterly insane. According to her, most participants in the “coalition” doubt the feasibility of this military intervention without US support. “Judging by the current discussions, Washington still has no intention of becoming involved in such an adventure. It seems to be realistically assessing where all this could lead,” she added.

In mid-April, the Russian ambassador to Germany declared that the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine “could mark a completely new quality in our relations with Germany, because, as far as we know, and foreign military experts also admit, Ukrainian soldiers are not capable of operating these long-range weapons.” This statement already indicated that Russia would officially view Germany as a party to the conflict in such a case, one that could also be the target of Russian attacks. The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in an official statement that attacks with Taurus missiles against any Russian infrastructure constitute Germany’s “direct participation” in the hostilities “with all the resulting consequences.”

Great Diplomatic Shift In Ukrainian War

South Front, April 18, 2025

According to military sources, the “coalition of willing” consists of France, the UK, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and some other country (speculations name countries like Denmark, Finland, Poland, Czech).

In the French newspaper Le Figaro, a striking report was published regarding the presence of French Army cartographers in Romania in preparation for a possible “conflict with Russia.” According to the report, French Army cartographers are mapping regions along Romania’s borders with Moldova and Ukraine. The French troops have prepared an extremely detailed map that includes movement routes for military units and the axes along which the army can advance. The main purpose of the mapping effort is to facilitate orientation on the ground even if satellite signals are disrupted.

More than three years in and with little initiative for a diplomatic exit from the West, NATO’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine will reach a critical juncture when aid from the United States ends. Unless US President Donald Trump changes his mind, Europe cannot afford to continue its unconditional aid to Ukraine alone. In the final months of his term, Joe Biden took significant steps to increase Ukraine’s munitions stockpiles, sending large quantities of projectiles, rockets, and armored vehicles. While these decisions have bought Ukraine time, its stockpiles of US munitions are running low. The $1.25 billion aid package is nearly exhausted, and Trump has not approved any new military aid since taking office.

Ukraine’s European backers face two main questions: how Ukraine can persist with a combination of domestic arms production, European assistance, and US intelligence sharing, and how to finance that support. European countries must accept greater risk by donating their own military equipment and increasing defense spending to replenish their stockpiles. In order to match Russia’s military strength, Ukraine should have to mobilize everything it can and increase production several dozen times, an impossible task.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that any shipment containing weapons to Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. According to Russia’s top diplomat, the US and NATO not only supply weapons to Kiev, but also train personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy, and other countries.

Europe does not have the military might, economic prosperity, or unity to support Ukraine once US support has truly dried up. Yet, judging by the statements and actions of Kaja Kallas, the unelected EU technocrats continue to concoct new ideas to prolong war and suffering in Ukraine.

It is beginning to look like even the British army soldiers are going to suspect the sanity of the plan by the European “coalition of willing”.

BRUTAL ESCALATION: Putin Gave The SHOCKING Order That Buried NATO Alive & Forced The West to RETREAT

BORZZIKMAN, April 11, 2025

On April 9, 2025, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, made a statement that shocked many Western experts and analysts. In particular, she officially stated that Moscow would consider the appearance of foreign military contingents on Ukraine’s territory as a threat to Russia’s national security

Statements, assessments and discussions on Ukrainian war by international experts

German War Journalist REVEALS Realities in Ukraine | Patrik Baab

Neutrality Studies, April 13, 2025

Pascal Lottaz talking to Patrik Baab, one of Germany’s best and most critical international journalists. Mr. Baab is the author of the German-language bestselling book “On Both Sides of the Front,” in which he shares his experiences traveling to the Donbas. He also worked for many years as an editor for the North German Broadcasting Company (NDR) and he used to work as a lecturer at two universities.

COL. Douglas Macgregor: Will Zelenskyy and Neocons Reject Peace?

Judge Napolitano, April 15, 2025

Aaron Maté: NATO’s War Narratives Collapse

Glenn Diesen, April 17, 2025

Investigative journalist Aaron Maté discusses how NATO’s war narratives are falling apart.

Lord Robert Skidelsky: Europe Is Trapped by Its Own Propaganda in Ukraine

Glenn Diesen, April 17, 2025

Robert Skidelsky is a member of the British House of Lords, Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at Warwick University, and the author of a prize-winning three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes. He began his political career in the Labour party, was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party, and served as the Conservative Party’s spokesman for Treasury affairs in the House of Lords until he was sacked for his opposition to NATO’s 1999 bombing of Kosovo. Since 2001, he has sat in the House of Lords as an independent.

What My Gut Tells Me about the War & Ukraine Russia Peace Talks / Lt Col Daniel Davis

Daniel Davis / Deep Dive, April 17, 2025

The speaker argues that the war in Ukraine needs to end, and peace negotiations are the only way to stop further loss of life. However, they believe Ukrainian leadership (specifically Zelensky) won’t be compelled to negotiate, and Russia has decided to continue its advance, likely toward the Dnipro River. The speaker also warns that U.S. military equipment, now captured or studied by Russia, could compromise future combat readiness—especially in conflicts against peer adversaries like China. They call for an immediate end to the war to prevent further damage to U.S. military capability and to stop needless Ukrainian casualties.

EU/UK Paris Summit Plans Kiev Victory, Odessa Deployment, Defies US; Russian Advance On All Fronts

Alexander Mercouris, April 17, 2025

Jeffrey Sachs LEAKS Trump-Putin’s ‘FINAL UKRAINE SOLUTION’ | ‘U.S. Can’t Defeat Russia’

Times Of India, April 17, 2025

American Economist Jeffrey Sachs has predicted Ukraine’s division, saying the United States cannot defeat Russia in Ukraine and that both President Putin and President Trump will divide the country. He also lashed out at Trump administration, and accused the U.S. of demolishing rules-based order. He accused Trump of dismantling civilian administration in the United States by his executive orders and other actions. Watch Sachs speech at Asia Society Hong Kong. Watch. Times Of India (TOI) Is The Largest Selling English Daily In The World.

Ukraine Russia War Ending Just Like WW2 Ended / Lt Col Daniel Davis

Daniel Davis / Deep Dive Merch, April 18, 2025

The speaker argues that the West—particularly the U.S. and Europe—has no military, economic, or diplomatic leverage left to force Russia into a negotiated settlement over Ukraine. He criticizes Western leaders for missing multiple opportunities since 2014 (including the Minsk agreements and Istanbul negotiations) to prevent or end the war. The result, he says, has been a decade of policy failures.

According to the speaker, Ukraine’s refusal to compromise is leading the country toward destruction, possibly even to a total military defeat by Russia. He points to reports of Ukrainian children being trained in military camps as a sign of the country’s desperation and compares it to Nazi Germany’s final days.

The speaker supports a U.S. withdrawal of all military and logistical support to Ukraine, claiming that such a move could end the war within weeks—just as the Afghan army collapsed when U.S. forces left in 2021. He says this is the only way to stop the bloodshed now. In conclusion, he urges leaders like Trump and Rubio to follow through on threats to “walk away” unless a peace deal is reached, as he believes continued support only prolongs needless death and suffering.

Assessments on realism and Russia – America relations

John Mearsheimer Interview – Inside Putin’s Secret Military Strategy for Ukraine

Mearsheimer: Realism and Power, April 15, 2025

Mearsheimer: Realism and Power is your ultimate destination for in-depth analysis and thought-provoking insights from one of the most influential political theorists of our time, John Mearsheimer. Explore his groundbreaking ideas on realism, international relations, and global power dynamics that continue to shape the world stage.

‘Ukraine Will Be Eliminated’ John Mearsheimer and Putin Advisor Discuss US-Russia Relations

Al Arabiya News English, April 1, 2025

Up for debate on Counterpoints – with me, Melinda Nucifora – how will a recalibrated US-Russia relationship reshape the world order?

Show guests:

Sergey Karaganov – Russian strategist, Honorary Chairman of the Center for Council for Foreign and Defense Policy and adviser to President Vladimir Putin.

Prof John Mearsheimer – American political scientist and international relations scholar from the University of Chicago

GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW RUSSO-AMERICAN DETENTE – DRAGO BOSNIĆ & JOAQUIN FLORES

Lux Média, April 18, 2025

Video: Geopolitical Implications of The Fake “Russia-U.S. Detente”? The War in Ukraine. Joaquin Flores and Drago Bosnic

What is happening?

French Colonel Herve Carresse, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit, believes that Russia may take the cities of Odessa and Kharkov if the Ukraine conflict persists.

“The further continuation of the conflict is bringing the Ukrainian army closer to a complete collapse. Russia will probably seize cities such as Kharkov and Odessa. Odessa is of fundamental importance for Russia,” the expert told Stratpol.

“The interest of the Ukrainians, Europeans and Americans lies in ending the conflict. However, European countries and Ukraine are acting otherwise,” Carresse pointed out.

“Why is this happening? Because there are differences in positions on talks. The Americans want to launch negotiations as Trump keeps accusing the Democrats of unleashing this war and speaking about a defeat in the conflict,” the analyst emphasized.

“For Russia, it’s not strategically beneficial to end the conflict too quickly because Moscow still has territories to liberate and has not been able to completely defeat the Ukrainian army yet. Zelensky, in turn, cannot benefit from talks because neo-Nazis remain extremely influential in Ukraine and peace with Russia poses a physical threat to his existence,” Carresse added.

Meanwhile, the Europeans have suffered a lot from the conflict. Europe’s interest is to resume energy cooperation with Russia. In terms of security, it’s important to highlight Russia’s demand for a new security architecture in Europe, Carresse stressed.

Below, on the left, the plan of US Gen. Keith Kellog; on the right, two views of some military analysts.

I have made map-based analyses about Ukraine’s future in my article

April 1, 2024  Scenarios for the outcome of Ukraine crisis 2024-2025

PS. Part II and Part III of the series “Out of Africa” are coming in next few weeks.