Top Headlines

Feeds

Russian Capture of Pokrovsk Confirmed as Ukraine Gains Hundreds of Square Kilometers, While Kremlin Prepares New Reserve Call‑Ups and Tightens Digital Controls

Updated (35 articles)
  • Servicemen of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade are firing the 2S22 “Bogdana” at Russian military positions on August 20, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine.
    Servicemen of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade are firing the 2S22 “Bogdana” at Russian military positions on August 20, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine.
    Image: Newsweek
    Servicemen of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade are firing the 2S22 “Bogdana” at Russian military positions on August 20, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. Source Full size
  • None
    None
    Image: Le Monde
    Le Monde Source Full size
  • Servicemen of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade are firing the 2S22 “Bogdana” at Russian military positions on August 20, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine.
    Servicemen of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade are firing the 2S22 “Bogdana” at Russian military positions on August 20, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine.
    Image: Newsweek
    Servicemen of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade are firing the 2S22 “Bogdana” at Russian military positions on August 20, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. Source Full size
  • None
    None
    Image: Le Monde
    Le Monde Source Full size
  • Le général Oleksandr Syrsky, commandant en chef de l’armée ukrainienne, dans un lieu non divulgué, en Ukraine, le 7 février 2026.VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/HL/HUMA POUR «LE MONDE»
    Le général Oleksandr Syrsky, commandant en chef de l’armée ukrainienne, dans un lieu non divulgué, en Ukraine, le 7 février 2026.VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/HL/HUMA POUR «LE MONDE»
    Image: Le Monde
    Le général Oleksandr Syrsky, commandant en chef de l’armée ukrainienne, dans un lieu non divulgué, en Ukraine, le 7 février 2026.VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/HL/HUMA POUR «LE MONDE» (VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/HL/HUMA POUR «LE MONDE») Source Full size

Russian forces seized Pokrovsk by late January 2026, ending further advances in Donetsk. The Institute for the Study of War observed no Ukrainian activity in the town since late January and concluded the city fell weeks earlier, marking the most significant Russian gain in the region this year[1]. Kremlin‑aligned sources say the capture will be used to bolster domestic narratives of progress, even as overall front‑line dynamics remain contested[4].

Ukrainian troops liberated roughly 300‑400 km² and eight settlements across the south and east since late January. Commander‑in‑chief Oleksandr Syrskyi posted that elite units retook more than 400 km² along the southern front, while ISW open‑source analysis confirms at least 168.9 km² reclaimed, including villages east of Novopavlivka and north‑west of Verbove[5][6]. These advances represent the largest Ukrainian territorial gains since the 2024 Kursk incursion[2].

Kremlin officials framed Defender of the Fatherland Day as a call for sacrifice and announced limited rolling reserve mobilizations. President Putin linked soldiers’ “enormous responsibility” to the nation and signaled preparation for involuntary reserve call‑ups, a narrative reinforced by Dmitry Medvedev’s uniformed address promising support for mobilized families[3]. The strategy aims to pre‑empt domestic backlash as Russia confronts manpower shortages[2].

Russia expanded internet repression, targeting Telegram, VPNs, and foreign services. A February 25 court fined Google 22 million rubles for VPN advertising, while a new decree obliges mobile operators to cut communications on FSB request, effectively paving the way for a Telegram ban[1][6]. Kremlin officials allege Ukrainian intelligence exploits Telegram, using the claim to justify broader censorship measures[6].

Russian military strain is evident in casualty‑recruitment imbalance and a push for space‑based intelligence. Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrsky reported Russian losses now exceed new recruits, undermining the ability to sustain operations[7]. Concurrently, Russia deployed Luch‑1 and Luch‑2 satellites to intercept and potentially jam European military communications, signaling a shift toward high‑tech warfare despite ground‑level setbacks[3].

Sources

Related Tickers

by TradingView

Videos (6)

Timeline

Nov 14 2025 – Russia conducts a partial battlefield‑air‑interdiction (BAI) campaign that strikes Ukrainian logistics behind the front, paving the way for its advance toward Pokrovsk and prompting Ukraine to call for a restored UAV “wall” to halt further gains[25].

Nov 26 2025 – Russian forces make only slow progress in Donetsk, averaging 0.12 km per day around Pokrovsk and covering 66 % of the town after 118 days, while Belarus reaffirms its alliance with Moscow at the CSTO summit[29].

Nov 28 2025 – President Putin claims “significant gains” including 70 % of Pokrovsk and advances near Hulyaipole, but ISW satellite analysis shows far smaller territorial changes, and Putin rejects the U.S. 28‑point peace plan, demanding Ukrainian withdrawal from all occupied oblasts[28].

Nov 30 2025 – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Ukrainian officials in Hallandale Beach, describing the U.S. peace proposal as “very productive” and noting upcoming Geneva talks, while Russian drones breach Moldovan airspace and Ukraine successfully uses its Sting interceptor drone to down Geran‑3 UAVs[27].

Dec 1 2025 – U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian NSDC secretary Rustem Umerov hold talks in Florida on a U.S.‑Ukraine peace proposal; the Netherlands pledges €250 million to Ukraine and the Russian Pacific Fleet upgrades a brigade to a division[26].

Dec 2 2025 – Russia announces the capture of Pokrovsk and releases a flag‑raising video, yet Ukrainian forces report ongoing urban fighting and retain positions in northern Pokrovsk[24].

Dec 3 2025 – President Putin publicly declares Pokrovsk seized, while U.S.‑Russia diplomatic talks in Moscow end without breakthrough and Ukrainian commanders confirm continued resistance inside the city[23].

Dec 4 2025 – Putin vows to take the Donbas “by any means” during a summit in New Delhi, while a Ukrainian delegation departs for the United States and the ISW projects the next major Donetsk seizure no earlier than August 2027[21].

Dec 5 2025 – Putin rejects key elements of the U.S. peace plan, labeling them unacceptable; Russian missile and drone attacks hit multiple Ukrainian cities and force the shutdown of the Kherson thermal power plant[20].

Dec 5 2025 – U.S.‑Ukrainian peace talks in Miami discuss a possible settlement; analysts note the Pokrovsk‑Myrnohrad pocket remains open, with Ukrainian forces holding northern Pokrovsk[19].

Dec 6 2025 – Russia launches 704 missiles and drones in a massive overnight strike on Ukrainian energy and railway infrastructure; U.S.‑Ukrainian negotiations stress Russian “good faith” as a condition for durable peace[18].

Dec 9 2025 – Ukrainian commanders report that they still control the northern sector of Pokrovsk despite Russian claims, using live‑drone feeds and rapid flag‑raising to demonstrate presence[3].

Dec 11 2025 – The United States proposes a free‑economic zone in the Donbas as part of a negotiated peace, while Ukraine prepares to discuss the plan at upcoming talks in Paris; the conflict’s roots trace back to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatists[17].

Dec 12 2025 – Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov states Russian police and National Guard will remain in Donbas after any peace settlement, underscoring Moscow’s intent to retain a security presence; Ukrainian forces recapture settlements near Kupiansk[16].

Dec 23 2025 – Ukraine withdraws from the embattled town of Siversk to preserve combat capability, allowing Russian forces to move closer to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, while a top Russian general is killed in a Moscow car bombing[2].

Dec 26 2025 – President Putin hints at a possible territory swap with Ukraine but insists the entire Donbas stays under Russian control, also raising joint management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in negotiations[15].

Jan 1 2026 – Russian brigades intensify pressure on Ukrainian troops in Zaporizhzhia, capturing Huliaipole’s command post and exposing weak defenses, as Ukraine struggles with a severe manpower gap[5].

Jan 27 2026 – Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev frames Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas as the “path to peace,” while President Zelensky says a security‑guarantee document is complete and Abu Dhabi talks are constructive[14].

Jan 28 2026 – The U.S. ties additional weapons and NATO Article 5 guarantees to Ukraine ceding all of Donetsk, prompting an ISW warning that such concessions would be a strategic error[13].

Feb 4 2026 – War widow Natalia exhumes and reburies her husband’s remains in Kyiv, fearing Russian occupation of Slovyansk; the frontline shift highlights Ukraine’s manpower shortages (200 000 AWOL) and a broader diplomatic backdrop of U.S.–led peace talks and the imminent expiry of the New START nuclear treaty[1].

Feb 5 2026 – Russia prepares limited strategic reserves for a possible summer 2026 offensive along the Slovyansk‑Kramatorsk and Orikhiv‑Zaporizhzhia axes, but struggles to secure starting positions; the recent Starlink block hampers Russian FPV‑drone assaults, and a car‑bomb attack wounds GRU deputy head Vladimir Alekseyev[12].

Feb 6 2026 – Foreign Minister Lavrov reiterates Russia’s refusal to accept Western security guarantees, citing the 2022 Istanbul draft that would keep Russia a neutral guarantor and force Ukraine into neutrality[12].

Feb 11‑15 2026 – Ukraine recaptures 201 sq km in a five‑day surge—the fastest advance since mid‑2023—while Russia fires a massive drone‑missile barrage ahead of Geneva talks, targeting energy and industrial sites across twelve regions[11].

Feb 20 2026 – President Zelensky claims Ukraine has liberated roughly 300 sq km in the south; ISW confirms at least 168.9 sq km; Putin signs a decree enabling the FSB to block Telegram, while Ukraine strikes the Votkinsk missile plant and Russia exploits Belarusian cellular towers for drone navigation[10].

Feb 21 2026 – The Kremlin pushes a false narrative of sweeping gains, while former separatist leader Pavel Gubarev faces a criminal case; United Russia ramps up propaganda ahead of the September 2026 elections; Ukrainian‑Moldovan services foil a Russian assassination plot; leaked chats reveal Russian commanders condoning POW torture; Ukraine hits deep Russian targets as Russia launches a massive drone barrage[8].

Feb 23 2026 – President Putin frames Defender of the Fatherland Day as a call for sacrifice and signals limited, rolling involuntary reserve call‑ups to pre‑empt domestic backlash; Medvedev appears in uniform promising care for mobilized families, and Ukrainian forces liberate multiple settlements east of Verbove, expanding control over 400 km² since Jan 2025[7].

Feb 24 2026 – The Kremlin ties future security‑guarantee contributions from the British‑French coalition to Putin’s permission, while Russia shows no appetite for meaningful peace talks, preparing a “military agenda” for the September 2026 elections; it also moves to ban Telegram and fines Google 22 million rubles for VPN distribution; Ukraine signs €800 million “Build with Ukraine” defence contracts with Finland, Latvia and Denmark[6].

Feb 27 2026 – General Oleksandr Syrsky declares the war “extremely difficult” for Ukraine, asserts that Russian casualties now exceed new recruits, and credits the 2024 “Koursk” operation for turning the tide, while avoiding any diplomatic commentary[30].

2014 – 2022 – The conflict originates with Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk, escalating to a full‑scale invasion in February 2022 that triggers ongoing war and massive territorial shifts[14].

2026 (Upcoming) – The New START nuclear arms‑control treaty expires in 2026, removing limits on U.S.–Russia warheads for the first time since 1991, adding a strategic risk dimension to the war’s diplomatic landscape[1].

Social media (20 posts)

Dive deeper (12 sub-stories)

All related articles (35 articles)

External resources (2259 links)