Putin says Russia is 12 km from Sumy—1.5 km farther than in June
Just two months ago, the Kremlin claimed Russian troops were 10.5 km from Sumy—now it says they are 12 km away.
Browsing Tag
ISW
169 posts
Russia’s Starlink rival falters as latest satellite batch stalls in low orbit, ISW says
None of the 16 spacecraft launched in July reached the 550-kilometer benchmark, while two may reenter the atmosphere and be lost.
Russia’s North Korean missiles could threaten Kyiv and six other regions, ISW says
Moscow is expected to keep saving ballistic and cruise missiles for periodic mass attacks designed to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses.
Russia calls them “volunteers.” They’re Ukrainian prisoners of war forced into a new combat brigade
Moscow's Defense Ministry merged several POW-based battalions and detachments into a single formation, escalating a practice ISW has tracked since late 2022.
Occupation official told Putin the Crimea highway is drone-proof—Russia’s own milbloggers refuted him within hours
One pro-war channel admitted traffic collapsed because drivers fear Ukrainian drones, not because Russian air defenses got better.
ISW: Ukraine has opened a new phase of Crimea’s isolation by hunting seaborne fuel tankers
The think tank says strikes on Russian gasoline shipping show Kyiv rapidly adapting after land routes to the peninsula were degraded.
Russia recycles its Moldova script to brand Armenia’s election illegitimate, ISW says
Hours after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract took 49.81%, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged "unprecedented Western pressure"—and Rosrybolovstvo threatened fresh import bans.
ISW: Russia uses Yenakiyeve bus strike claim to legitimize devastating campaign against Ukrainian cities
Pushilin reports 8 killed; Kyiv has not commented as Moscow accelerates retaliation rhetoric and threatens punishment.
ISW: a Belarus ground invasion is very unlikely, but Russia may use Belarusian airspace to hit western Ukraine
Belarus has neither massed forces on the Ukrainian border nor would Russia have the reserves to support a Belarusian ground push, per the assessment.
Russia’s new Kyiv strike threat is posturing for the Victory Day humiliation, not retaliation—ISW
EU, France, Poland, and Ukraine answered Moscow's evacuation demand in lockstep. The diplomats are staying.
Ukraine did math on Tuapse — and Russian reaction tells rest
Ukraine's drones hit Tuapse four times in a single month. Each strike deepening the wound on Russia's only Black Sea oil refinery.
Russia hit a record oil revenue month—yet the federal budget still came up short
Sberbank’s CFO forecasts the ruble will fall to 90 per dollar. Three ports already show 13–43% drops.
Moscow’s offensive has lost ground since it started — yet Russia’s top brass declared Luhansk Oblast fully seized for the fourth time
Gerasimov claimed Russia seized 1,700 km² in 2026 and controls 70% of Lyman, but ISW’s evidence shows gains of only about one fifth of that area, none of the city, and territorial losses since 1 March.
ISW: Russia likely plans to exploit European telecom loopholes for Shahed guidance — as it already does near Poland, Romania, Belarus
Ukraine's MoD adviser said Russia orders SIM cards from T2, a Rostelecom subsidiary, for Shahed drones, which then switch to neighboring countries’ networks when Ukraine blocks them.
Russia claims full capture of Luhansk Oblast for the third time — Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade notes it’s still holding the line there
ISW confirms Ukrainian forces control the last 0.16% of the oblast, including the settlements of Nadiya and Novoyehorivka, which Russia's military grouping Zapad claimed to have "liberated" on 1 April.
Kyiv offered Easter ceasefire. Moscow dismissed it. ISW says don’t be surprised.
ISW assesses Ukraine continues to demonstrate genuine readiness to negotiate, while Russia's response indicates it remains unwilling to engage in good faith.
Russia’s spring offensive has stalled at Ukraine’s Fortress Belt — ISW says it won’t break through in 2026
The 3rd Combined Arms Army, the only Russian force positioned to push directly on Sloviansk, hasn't gained ground in a week after a month of tactically significant advances east of the city.
ISW: Russia has likely begun its anticipated spring-summer 2026 offensive against Ukraine’s Fortress Belt in Donetsk Oblast
ISW assessed on 21 March, adding that Russian forces are unlikely to seize the Fortress Belt in 2026 but will likely make some tactical gains at significant cost.
Ukraine’s counterattacks in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast are burning Russia’s operational reserves — ISW says Russia’s spring offensive may be spoiled
In the Oleksandrivka direction Russian forces have switched from offense to active defense.
Russia cuts Duma internet, moves to block Telegram through VPNs ahead of 2026 elections, ISW says
Russian authorities have cut mobile data across Moscow City since 5 March and severed internet access inside the…