ISW Ukraine report

Russia uses peace talks to prepare for escalation - ISW

The massive attack on Ukraine was the second-largest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion — and a clear signal of Moscow’s real intentions and strategy, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Aug. 28.

29 August 2025, 11:15 AM

Russian commanders increasingly ordering Ukrainian POW executions

The number of executions of Ukrainian servicemembers by Russian troops has increased in 2024 and 2025, according to the Aug. 23 report by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

24 August 2025, 12:25 PM

Kremlin targets political control of Ukraine, not merely Donbas

Russia’s main objective in Ukraine is to achieve political control over the entire nation, rather than merely seizing specific territories such as Donetsk Oblast, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War reported on Aug. 19.

20 August 2025, 12:19 PM

Kremlin pushes for control over Ukraine’s laws, language, and Orthodox Church activity – ISW

Russia continues to deny Ukraine’s sovereignty by unjustifiably insisting on dictating the country’s internal affairs, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its Aug. 17 assessment of the Kremlin’s current demands in talks with the United States.

18 August 2025, 10:40 AM

Russian push in Chasiv Yar nears, threatens Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast defenses

Russian forces raised flags in the western and southern parts of Chasiv Yar and likely seized most of the town, according to geolocated data cited in a July 31 report by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

1 August 2025, 12:13 PM

Russian advance threatens Zaporizhzhya with artillery

Russian forces recently advanced in western Zaporizhzhya Oblast, according to a report by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing geolocated footage published on July 27.

28 July 2025, 12:02 PM

Russian push toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast will deepen military strain — ISW

Russian forces are unlikely to seize the entire Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2025, and any advance into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast would only exacerbate existing weaknesses in Russia’s military, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its July 11 assessment.

12 July 2025, 12:45 PM

Ukraine reclaims territory, halts Russian push in Sumy Oblast

Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted a series of counterattacks and advanced in northern Sumy Oblast, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its July 8 report.

9 July 2025, 12:12 PM

Russia to refocus on Pokrovsk after entering Novoekonomichne

Russian invasion forces are likely redirecting their offensive priorities in Donetsk Oblast toward the Pokrovsk sector, moving away from Kostiantynivka, after weeks of unsuccessful efforts to advance toward the latter, according to a report by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on July 7.

8 July 2025, 11:10 AM

Russia aims to encircle Pokrovsk, bypass Ukrainian defenses — ISW

In the coming months, Russian forces will likely try to encircle the city of Pokrovsk and bypass Ukraine’s fortified defense line from the west in Donetsk Oblast, according to the Institute for the Study of War’s July 5 assessment.

6 July 2025, 10:22 AM

Preparing a new generation for years of war: What Putin’s latest Security Council meeting signals — ISW analysis

On June 10, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin convened a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, focusing heavily on so-called “military-patriotic” programs for youth and government initiatives aimed at promoting Russian nationalism, according to a new analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

11 June 2025, 10:55 AM

Putin bets Ukraine tires first, but Western arms could tip the balance – ISW

The Kremlin is betting that Ukraine will tire of the war before Russia does, but Western pressure could shift that calculus, according to a June 7 report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

8 June 2025, 10:03 AM

Russia unlikely to seize half of Ukraine by 2026 if Western aid continues — ISW

Russia is unlikely to achieve its goal of occupying half of Ukraine by the end of 2026, given the current state of its offensive capabilities and continued Western military aid to Kyiv, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its June 6 assessment.

7 June 2025, 02:20 PM

Russian army suffers massive losses as Kremlin feigns interest in peace talks — ISW

The Kremlin remains uninterested in good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine, even as Russian forces continue to suffer disproportionately high battlefield losses, according to a June 5 report from the Institute for the Study of War.

6 June 2025, 02:29 PM

How Ukraine’s Operation Cobweb stunned Russian propagandists and war bloggers — ISW

Despite threats from Russian propagandists to retaliate with nuclear weapons over Ukraine’s Operation Cobweb, a nuclear response is unlikely, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said in a June 1 report.

2 June 2025, 10:27 AM

Amid talk of ‘peace talks,’ Putin prepares for a long war with Ukraine and NATO — ISW outlines the signs

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree on May 30 granting the government authority to seize control of defense businesses that fail to meet state wartime contracts, a move that signals preparations for a long war with NATO, according to a May 31 report by the Institute for the Study of War.

1 June 2025, 12:47 PM

Kremlin hardens stance ahead of Istanbul talks, drags out peace process while seizing on U.S. concessions — ISW

The Kremlin is hardening its stance ahead of a possible new round of peace talks with Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul on June 2, a meeting unlikely to produce meaningful results as Russia appears intent on stalling negotiations, the Institute for the Study of War reported on May 30.

31 May 2025, 10:23 AM

Medvedev revives Kremlin’s surrender demands, dismisses Ukraine’s sovereignty

Senior Russian officials are still denying Ukraine’s sovereignty and the legitimacy of its president, government, and Constitution, the Institute for the Study of War said in a May 20 report, despite dictator Vladimir Putin’s recent attempts to signal interest in peace negotiations to end the war.

21 May 2025, 10:18 AM

ISW: Putin stalls talks, demands Ukraine’s surrender, prepares for long war

Russia continues to threaten escalation and hint at potential nuclear strikes as the Kremlin gears up for a prolonged war with no intention of making concessions, according to a May 17 report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

18 May 2025, 10:29 AM

Russians simulate talks, push Ukraine to capitulate on Kremlin’s 2022 terms — ISW

Russian officials are openly calling for renewed peace talks with Ukraine based on the so-called “Istanbul protocols” from early 2022 — a framework amounting to a demand for Ukraine’s capitulation, according to a new report from the Institute for the Study of War on May 14.

15 May 2025, 11:03 AM

ISW Ukraine report

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