ISW report

Major shift in Kremlin rhetoric: What Putin’s and Medvedev’s first direct attacks on Trump reveal after new U.S. sanctions — ISW

In response to U.S. sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft, the Kremlin — which had previously avoided direct public criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump — has changed its tone, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in their Oct. 23 report.

24 October 2025, 10:53 AM

Russian troops stage flag displays to fake numerical advantage on Lyman front — ISW

The Russian military command is ordering troops to raise flags on Lyman front to create the appearance of a numerical advantage over Ukraine’s Defense Forces, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Oct. 22.

23 October 2025, 09:35 AM

Ceding Donbas to Russia would bolster its offensive position — ISW analysis

Russia’s demand for full control of the Donbas would give Moscow a stronger foothold for renewed aggression against Ukraine whenever it sees fit, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned in their Oct. 19 assessment.

20 October 2025, 10:26 AM

ISW: Ukrainian drone attacks knock out a fifth of Russia’s oil refining capacity

Ukraine’s sustained campaign of strikes on Russian oil refineries is worsening the country’s fuel shortages and triggering record price spikes, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its Oct. 18 report.

19 October 2025, 10:58 AM

Tomahawks for Ukraine wouldn’t escalate war, could weaken Russia, ISW says

Supplying U.S. long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would not cause a major escalation in the war but would instead mirror Russia’s own use of long-range cruise missiles, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its Oct. 17 report.

18 October 2025, 01:15 PM

Kremlin lies about energy strikes after Trump–Putin call

Following the phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Moscow sought to distort the truth about its deliberate attacks on Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Oct. 16.

17 October 2025, 12:53 PM

ISW rejects Kremlin’s Tomahawk scare tactics

The Kremlin continues rhetoric meant to deter the United States from supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, but Moscow’s claims that this step will be an “escalation” are manipulative, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Oct. 15.

16 October 2025, 10:00 AM

Dozens of armored vehicles in combat: Russia returns to large-scale mechanized assaults on the front lines — ISW

Over the past two weeks, Russian forces have launched three mechanized assaults involving company- or battalion-sized units along the hottest parts of the front in Donetsk Oblast, signaling a shift in how Russia is deploying armored vehicles in its war against Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in their Oct. 14 report.

15 October 2025, 10:22 AM

Big money no longer buys Russian soldiers, ISW says

Russia’s strategy of luring new military recruits with massive financial incentives — its primary tool for filling the ranks with volunteer fighters — appears to be losing steam, the Institute for the Study of War said in its Oct. 12 report.

13 October 2025, 10:24 AM

Russia rebuilding tank fleet to strike NATO after Ukraine war, ISW warns

Russia is ramping up production of its T-90 tanks and restoring its pre-war reserves, signaling it may be preparing to pose a long-term military threat to NATO, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an Oct. 11 assessment.

12 October 2025, 09:52 AM

Putin exaggerates Russian gains in Ukraine, downplays refinery strikes — ISW

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has inflated the scale of Russian territorial gains in Ukraine in 2025 and downplayed the impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries — even as he finally acknowledged the campaign, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its Oct. 8 report.

9 October 2025, 10:41 AM

Ratio of wounded to killed shows Russia taking ‘abnormally high’ battlefield losses in 2025 — ISW analysis

Russian forces are suffering an “abnormally high” killed-to-wounded ratio on the battlefield in Ukraine this year — far above wartime norms — analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said in their Oct. 7 report.

8 October 2025, 10:06 AM

Russia enters new phase of prep for future war with NATO — ISW analysis

Russia appears to be accelerating the initial stage of its campaign to prepare for a potential future war with NATO and has shifted to laying the information and psychological groundwork for such a conflict, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said in their Oct. 6 report.

7 October 2025, 10:22 AM

ISW: Russia stockpiled missiles in September for large-scale strikes on Ukraine

Russian forces likely stockpiled ballistic and cruise missiles throughout September 2025 to carry out several large-scale strikes on Ukraine on selected days, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in its Oct. 3 assessment.

4 October 2025, 12:36 PM

Putin’s fresh threats from Valdai forum: ISW debunks Russian dictator’s absurd claims and war exaggerations

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin used the Valdai Discussion Club as a platform to issue new threats against Europe and the United States, aimed at deterring Western responses to Russian aggression and weakening support for Ukraine, according to an Oct. 2 report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

3 October 2025, 10:10 AM

Russian forces stall amid troop shortages and logistics failures — ISW

Russia is struggling with logistics and troop shortages, failing to advance in Sumy and stalling near Pokrovsk and the Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk axis, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Sept. 28.

29 September 2025, 10:45 AM

Russia inflates battlefield gains to push ‘inevitable victory’ narrative — ISW

Russia is inflating its battlefield gains in Ukraine — in some cases by more than double — to push a narrative of “inevitable victory” and pressure the West, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Sept 25.

26 September 2025, 10:08 AM

Gen. Lapin ousted as Putin hunts scapegoats for failed defense of Kursk — ISW

The dismissal of Col. Gen. Alexander Lapin, the former commander of Russia’s Center and North groupings, marked a “notable inflection” in the policy of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, according to a Sept. 21 report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

22 September 2025, 10:32 AM

Ukraine makes gains in Sumy as Russia escalates near Kupyansk and Kherson, ISW says

Russian forces continue their offensive near Kupyansk and are stepping up efforts on the Pokrovsk front, while Ukrainian troops have recently advanced in northern parts of Sumy Oblast, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a new report.

21 September 2025, 10:16 AM

Putin may have organized or approved Bloomberg ‘leak’ on intensified strikes after Trump meeting — ISW

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may have allowed Kremlin sources to provide Bloomberg with information about plans to continue military escalation and strike Ukraine’s energy and other infrastructure, according to the Sept. 20 report by the Institute for the Study of War.

21 September 2025, 09:27 AM

ISW report

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