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Russo-Ukraine War - November 2025

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

Ukraine on 01 November 2025 deployed special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which is under an intense Russian assault. The city has been in Moscow's sights for over a year and lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army. Russian and Ukrainian troops are locked in a desperate fight in the ruins of Pokrovsk, a road and railway hub at the heart of the Donets River coal basin. The near-emptied city has been the target of a grinding Russian offensive for more than a year – and one that has exposed the struggle Kyiv faces in manning a front line stretching some 1,250 kilometers.

According to various estimates, the Russian army controlled between 60% and 79% of the territory of Pokrovsk, a city in the Donetsk region that is the subject of fierce fighting. Some analysts say that some Ukrainian groups, especially those in the forward positions, have virtually no chance of escaping alive. Others believed that a narrow corridor still remains. However, the cost of losing Pokrovsk could be very high: its capture would open a direct route for the Russian army to Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.

On November 4, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian units had cleared 35 buildings in Krasnoarmeysk. Military expert Andrei Marochko, for his part, noted that Russian troops still had approximately 2 kilometers to cover to completely "clamp down on the Ukrainian militant group" in the area of Dimitrov (known in Ukraine as Myrnohrad). Ukrainian troops were surrounded.

Nazi formations in Ukraine under Volodymyr Zelenskyy's regime feel like they're in charge and will carry the war deeper into the country, even if the frontline is frozen. This is the opinion expressed 05 November 2025 by Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the "Other Ukraine" movement and former leader of the banned Opposition Platform - For Life party. In his opinion piece on the media platform " Smotrim.ru ," he writes that the civil unrest in the country is continuing, escalating into violence. "Citizens across the country are resisting military recruiters from the TCC, who are working in concert with police and 'volunteers' from far-right and criminal groups," the politician continued, recalling the recent events in Odessa and the standoff between residents and military recruitment office employees at the 7th Kilometer market.

"However, the Nazis, reaping enormous profits from the war, began threatening the Odessans who resisted," Medvedchuk wrote. "Calls for looting and pogroms began, which, more than 100 years ago, sparked a bloody civil war. And all the conditions for such a war had long been in place." In his opinion, if the frontline is frozen but Zelenskyy's Ukraine is left alone, the war won't stop; it will spread deeper into the country. "Nazi groups feel they own Ukraine and are biding their time to seize power and resources. Will the illegitimate one then be able to protect the property and lives of Ukrainian citizens? Perhaps only on television. He'd rather save himself in the meantime, though he has plenty of money for that. Therefore, he has no choice but to lie, lie, and lie, hoping that the situation will somehow resolve itself. But the situation can only be resolved through denazification and demilitarization; there's no other way for Zelenskyy's Ukraine," he concluded.

Ukrainian military personnel admit they could suffer a severe defeat due to the encirclement of their positions by Russian forces in Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov (Ukrainian names: Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, respectively). This was reported 05 November 2025 by the newspaper Bild, citing sources in the Ukrainian army and security services.

As the newspaper notes, although Kyiv officially claims that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to "hold" both settlements, "internal analysis paints a different picture." The newspaper's sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces state that the key question is whether the Ukrainian military faces complete encirclement. "At the same time, the responsibility of Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being discussed, with him once again accused of withdrawing his troops long ago," Bild writes.

Journalists are comparing the situation to the liberation of Artemivsk (Ukrainian name Bakhmut) by Russian troops in 2023, when Zelenskyy also insisted on holding his positions despite the Ukrainian Armed Forces command's advice. "Yes, the situation is similar. We <...> defend ourselves, claiming that Russia's situation is even worse than it claims, and then we retreat. Reconnaissance units are deployed to defend the city only when the battle is nearing its end," an unnamed Ukrainian diplomat commented.

Zelenskyy's supporters, among other things, say that maintaining his position is important to save face with US President Donald Trump, Bild adds. Kyiv fears that Trump could again change his position on the Ukrainian conflict and distance himself from Ukraine. In this context, Kyiv's loss of Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov could have symbolic significance for the White House, Bild believed.

In its report 05 November 2025 on the situation in Krasnoarmeysk (Ukrainian name: Pokrovsk), the French newspaper Le Monde acknowledges that the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers remaining in the city is hopeless. At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by the newspaper criticize their command for placing them in this situation.The publication points out that "urban fighting could theoretically last for months, and this is precisely the scenario the Ukrainian General Staff undoubtedly preferred." "However, the supply cutoff puts Kyiv's forces in a hopeless situation," the newspaper emphasizes.

An officer of a Ukrainian motorized rifle brigade, who, according to Le Monde, is stationed in Krasnoarmeysk, stated that the current situation was due to "errors in command" by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which "have prevented normal supplies for several weeks," and in recent days, the city has been "completely cut off." He asserted that Krasnoarmeysk, given its size, "could have held out for months," but now its loss to Kyiv is a matter of "days, two weeks at most." A similar opinion was expressed by an unnamed marine officer, who, according to the article, was not authorized to speak to the media.

In light of the critical situation in which Ukrainian military units trapped in the Red Army agglomeration find themselves, the newspaper draws attention to the intensifying criticism of Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Le Monde notes that during previous major urban battles near Artemivsk (Ukrainian name Bakhmut) in 2023, near Avdiivka in 2024, and during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' invasion of Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian media accused him of wasting the lives of thousands of soldiers to delay the inevitable, instead of conducting an organized retreat. The newspaper also acknowledges that in other parts of the DPR controlled by Kyiv, "the situation is not much better."

Jompy @Jonpy99 reported 04 November 2025 "I'm quite confident that autumn has indeed become the breaking point for Russian stored equipment: scrapping older, decrepit hulls to get enough spare parts, finally tackling T-72As after refusing to even acknwoledge their existance for years... We've probably reached the point when there are no longer enough remaining hulls to be refurbed in the long term and everything left is only useful for cannibalization, while older, ignored AFV types are now being seriously considered for active service.... I don't expect Russia to reintroduce BRDM-2s and MT-LBus in service en masse, nor to bother wasting resources on T-64s to repair them tho.... originally the Russian MoD aimed to scrap 10,000 stored armored vehicles by 2020, but after 2014 the figure was revisited to just 4,000. I think by now they've learnt that numbers in storage are not the same as useful reserves.

On the campaign trail in 2023 and 2024, Donald Trump said on dozens of occasions, in an entirely serious tone, manner and context, that he would end the war in Ukraine either within 24 hours of his return to the White House or even sooner than that. He said over and over again, including at both presidential debates of 2024, that he would have the war “settled” when he was president-elect, before his inauguration. A search of the Roll Call Factba.se database that catalogues Trump’s public remarks turned up at least 53 examples of Trump making such comments.

“I’ll get that done within 24 hours. Everyone says, ‘Oh, no, you can’t.’ Absolutely I can. Absolutely I can,” he said at one July 2023 rally in Iowa. He said at a Pennsylvania rally later that month: “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we all together win the presidency, we will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It will be settled. The war is going to be settled. I’ll get them both – I know Zelensky, I know Putin, it’ll be done within 24 hours, you watch. They all say, ‘That’s such a boast.’ It will be done very quickly.”

When President Trump was reminded in an interview with Time magazine 25 April 2025 that he had said he would end the Russian war on Ukraine on “day one,” he claimed he hadn’t been speaking literally or seriously. “Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration, because to make a point, and you know, it gets, of course, by the fake news [unintelligible]. Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended,” Trump said,

Trump claimed at American Business Forum in Miami on 05 November 2025 that during a phone call, Putin told him that “he has been trying to end that war for 10 years, but has not succeeded.” The U.S. president claimed “I spoke with Putin two weeks ago, and he said, ‘We have been trying to end that war for 10 years, but we haven’t been able to. Now you’ll have to fix it.’”

Squatting on a road and rail hub in Donetsk coal country, the city of Pokrovsk now stands nearly empty. Once home to more than 60,000 people, many employed in the mining and metallurgy industries that the Donbas has long been known for, Pokrovsk has been largely evacuated ahead of the grinding advance of Russian troops. For more than a year, Ukrainian forces fought off the Russian offensive. Now, soldiers from both sides fight building-to-building in the bombed-out town, with Russia on Wednesday claiming it had completely surrounded the last pockets of Ukrainian resistance. Kyiv, which sent special forces to the besieged city over the weekend as Moscow's forces closed in, denies that its troops have been encircled.

Maria Engqvist, an analyst and director of the Swedish Defence Research Agency’s Russia and Eurasia Studies Programme, said that the near-empty town still holds significant strategic and symbolic value to Kyiv. “A Russian seizure of Pokrovsk would open [the door] for future Russian offensive operations towards, for example, Kramatorsk or Sloviansk, or westward towards Pavlohrad, due to its location,” she said. “Furthermore, a Russian capture of Pokrovsk would see the most significant symbolic gain since Avdiivka in 2024. This, in turn, will bring political implications on both sides.”

Once a major artery of the industrial heart of the Soviet Union, the collapse of these cities' heavy industries has nevertheless left a 50-kilometre network of tightly clumped towns, steelworks and factories that Ukraine has spent more than a decade building up into militarised strongholds. If Pokrovsk, which sits on a road and railway junction southwest of the belt, were to fall, the thinking goes, the region's remaining major cities will be open to being surrounded and swallowed up.

But Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said the loss of Pokrovsk would not in itself pose an existential threat to Ukraine's remaining defences in Donetsk. “Of course, if the Russians manage to capture Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad then they can move forward with their offensive. As long as the fighting is happening in the Pokrovsk direction, it does tie a lot of Russian troops in the area – while they are fighting in that sector, the Russians will only make gradual and slow progress elsewhere in Donetsk,” he said.

“This war will end when Putin dies, is arrested, or Russia collapses — not before.” On 04 November 2025 UATV English host Henry Keen interviewed military analyst and former US Air Force nuclear and missile operations officer Jake Broe. "Concerning Pokrovsk, Ukraine for the last four years has been trading land for time. I argue: what military in the history of the world has done a better job of trading land for time? If you zoom in far enough, it looks like the Russians are making daily advances, but you have to zoom out and think about the big picture. What percent of Ukraine’s total territory have the Russians taken over the last thousand days? About 1%. How many casualties has the Russian military taken? How much of their National Wealth Fund have they squandered over the last three and a half years?

"President Zelenskyy says that the forces in the city, Ukrainian forces, are outnumbered 8 to 1. But that’s military science: you want to minimize casualties while holding territory and maximize the losses that the invaders are taking. It’s a difficult situation, but making daily videos about this war for four years now, I remember the story of early 2022 when Lysychansk and Severodonetsk were surrounded, the cauldron was collapsing, the Russians were advancing, they were going to have a huge breakthrough. How much farther beyond Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have the Russians gone in the last three and a half years?

"The story of early 2023 was Bakhmut. The cauldron was collapsing, the Russians were enclosing, they’re going to have a breakthrough. How much farther beyond Bakhmut have they gone in the last two and a half years? The story of 2024 was Avdiivka. Avdiivka is surrounded, the cauldron is collapsing, the Russians are advancing, they’re going to have a breakthrough. How much farther have they gone since taking Avdiivka a year and a half ago, and it’s the next midsize town. It’s Pokrovsk. So Pokrovsk has been the story of 2025. Kostiantynivka the story of 2026. Sloviansk the story of 2027. Kramatorsk the story of 2028, right? How much longer can the Russians keep wasting men, wasting material, wasting resources, and wasting time to take midsize town after midsize town in one oblast of Ukraine?...

"Two months ago the Russians went pretty deep—about 10 km—in a very straightforward salient, and Ukraine had to respond. They had to send some of their elite units to control and contain. The Russians were then sliced and diced and took horrendous casualties. This is near the city of Druzhkivka, north of Pokrovsk. Nothing has been significantly changing on the battlefield in this region in my opinion. The last two months the Russians have been trying armored columns to have breakthroughs. Twenty-nine vehicles were destroyed three or four days ago. It’s the same thing we’ve been watching for four years in the Donbas region. I don’t think anything significant has been changing that will determine the outcome of this war. Ukraine is trading a little bit of land for a little bit more time as their own defense production increases and the West gets serious about sanctioning Russia’s economy."

“I hate to say it, but Kyiv won’t last till spring,” Roger Boyes, The Times, 11.07.25. “As winter approaches it looks increasingly likely to be Volodymyr Zelensky's last stand. The money to keep Ukraine armed, healthy and warm is drying up. The western will to support the war is evaporating. The defense of an independent Kyiv has slipped down the hierarchy of strategic emergencies.”

“This winter will see a more concentrated Russian assault on Ukraine's so-called fortress belt on its eastern front. If these defensive lines start to fall, then the way would be clear for Russian troops to move into central Ukraine. Moscow's mobilization target for 2025 allows for 350,000 soldiers, signed up on time-limited contracts; many of them are in training. The plan seems to be to open up the east a few hundred Russians have already been seen in Ukraine-held Pokrovsk spotting and killing drone operators who could slow the advance and then prepare for a surge into the Ukrainian heartland in the spring.”

“To the Russians the calculation is clear: use their newly enhanced expertise in drone warfare to make this a winter from hell for the Ukrainians; destroy energy infrastructure, railway stations, housing estates, in the hope of turning the people against the Zelensky government, nudging him into a disadvantageous settlement and a broken, polarized state. That might, from Putin's point of view, mask Russia's losses maybe 150,000 fatalities for the gain of a sliver of Ukrainian territory.”

v Tatarigami_UA on 08 November 2025 offered a "few broad observations on the course of war, based on observations, discussions with officers, soldiers, and analysts, data, and other relevant sources. I will begin with a high-level sociopolitical overview before gradually moving toward operational-tactical level. Overall, the situation for Ukraine has not improved since last year. Ukraine has markedly increased its long-range strike capabilities, which have very tangible effects across Russian society. However, the battlefield initiative remains with Russia, much as it did most of 2024.

A plausible Ukrainian "victory" approach can be summarized as: disrupt logistics, degrade the Russian economy, and avoid catastrophic operational collapses. Russia’s apparent approach is simpler: keep pressing until Ukraine exhausts its will or physical capacity to resist. The principal problem for Ukraine is an uncertainty about what level of domestic pressure inside Russia would change Putin's course. Many in Russia fear that a regime collapse would lead to a civil war, which makes domestic upheaval unattractive for many, including elites.

"From Russia’s perspective, a long attritional campaign may seem rational: press continuously and wait for Ukrainian manpower and materiel limitations to produce a collapse. That logic is coherent, but it has its problems and uncertainties, just like Ukrainian approach. The tempo of Russian losses and the growing systemic problems within its armed forces mean that even in a best-case scenario for Moscow there is no obvious pathway for a rapid advance to Kyiv. Russia faces a classic sunk-cost dilemma, with the costs of war outweighing gains.

"On the battlefield itself, Russia currently holds an advantage in drone employment on operational level. Their drone units are effectively used to cut off logistics, prevent rotation, and create localized conditions favorable to advances by ground formations. Russia’s drones now influence the battlefield at the operational level, while Ukraine’s more efficient systems remain largely tactical. A Ukrainian team may destroy Russian troops, but Russia’s broader drone network focuses on severing logistics of the entire force grouping.

"Russia is seeing a sharp rise in AWOL and desertion cases compared with previous years. However, its efficiency in tracking, returning, and punishing deserters helps contain the overall impact. Ukrainian society is different, and harsh punitive measures would likely provoke serious internal resistance. Instead, efforts focus on improving conditions to reduce AWOL and desertions. In my view, however, the situation has passed the point where enforcement can be avoided.

"Ukraine has resumed forming so-called “ghost brigades,” which are often undermanned, underequipped, and plagued by AWOLs, existing mostly on paper while consuming resources. At the same time, there are positive examples of Unmanned Forces expanding rapidly and effectively. Ukraine’s plan to inflict damage on Russia, showcased by an effective long-range drone campaign, is realistic, but it must be paired with a successful defense that avoids operational collapses. Absent corrective measures, ongoing infantry shortages can lead to such failure.

"Russias currently under great economic stress with 8% inflation 18% central bank rates, declining gold & sovereign wealth funds, decreasing oil revenue etc. Eventuall Russian economic collapse will decide the issue as it did in 1991 and 1917. There are multiple countries with far worse inflation and interest rates, yet their regimes hold power."

Interview by Caitlin Doornbos, NY Post, 11.10.25 with Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi: “Russia pours 150K troops into latest drive to overrun Ukraine in Donetsk: 'Really a tense situation',” ... “Pokrovsk, a city formerly home to around 60,000 in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, is ground zero for Russia’s latest offensive in Moscow’s nearly three-year-old invasion of its neighbor. Despite the Kremlin’s forces using every trick to try to break through Ukrainian defenses, Kyiv is grimly holding on to the logistically important town, armed forces of Ukraine commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi exclusively told The Post Sunday. ‘The situation on the front line is really a tense one, where the enemy is carrying out a strategic offensive operation,’ he said. ‘They’ve collected most of the forces, creating domination in an attempt to breach our defense line … to capture the area.’”

“Despite Russian state TV and social media propagandists insisting that Pokrovsk has fallen and Ukrainians are trapped, Syrskyi says the opposite is the case following a September counterattack that cost the invaders ‘about 13,000’ casualties and allowed Ukrainian forces to clear more than 165 square miles... Undeterred, Moscow has sent roughly 150,000 troops — out of the roughly 700,000 on Ukrainian territory — in the direction of Pokrovsk, with powerful mechanized groups and four marine brigades committed to the push.”

“Russia’s goal is to encircle Pokrovsk and neighboring towns from north, south and east, choking off supply lines and squeezing out any remaining civilians in its latest gambit to capture all of Donetsk, the commander explained. ... Our task is to see that their level of mobilizing people would be equal or less than the number of losses they sustain,” Syrskyi said. “The Ukrainians have spent months building fortifications around residential townships to blunt the effectiveness of heavy machinery like tanks. ‘There’s a difference between having to defend yourself in the open field or an urban structure,’ Syrskyi said.

Institute for the Study of War reported 13 November 2025 "Russian forces will likely collapse the pocket around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, but the significance of seizing these towns will depend on the circumstances and conduct of the Ukrainian withdrawal. ISW previously assessed that the Russian seizure of Pokrovsk would achieve an operationally-significant effect of depriving Ukraine of its use of Pokrovsk as a logistics hub — an objective that Russia already achieved by July 2025. The further operational significance of the seizure of Pokrovsk remains unclear but depends on several factors, including whether Ukrainian forces conduct an orderly withdrawal or disorderly retreat; whether Ukrainian forces are able to conduct a successful defense after the collapse of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad pocket; and Russian forces’ ability to exploit the collapse of the pocket and conduct a successful pursuit.""

Euromaidan Press reported "Russian forces are disintegrating in Pokrovsk as soldiers systematically refuse combat orders. Videos from the front show officers recording troops who say they'd rather face prison than enter the town, which has become synonymous with certain death. The battle has evolved into small-unit shadow warfare fought by groups of two or three soldiers. Drone dominance prevents any large-scale movement – main forces from both sides remain 10 kilometers outside town limits, unable to cross open ground without immediate detection and destruction. For Russia, this creates an unsustainable dynamic: their units filled with unwilling conscripts and penal soldiers can't function in combat that rewards skill and awareness over numbers. Officers strip refusing soldiers of pay and transfer them to penal battalions, which Russian command then sacrifices as cannon fodder to reveal Ukrainian positions."

Pokrovsk, a city long disputed by Moscow and Kyiv, appeared close to falling to Russian forces. At the end of October, Putin issued a premature declaration that Russian units had surrounded Ukrainian defenders in the city. This assertion was vigorously refuted by Ukrainian officials. While its capture would not signify a total collapse of Ukrainian defenses, the city's fate was a significant talking point. Both Moscow and Kyiv would leverage the outcome to influence the Trump administration, urging it to maintain support for their respective causes. Striking video depicted Russian units entering the city on trucks and motorcycles, shielded by heavy fog. Despite Ukrainian forces maintaining a defense within the city, they were numerically inferior to the Russian attackers.

Seizing the city would enable Moscow to push deeper into the prized Donetsk region, but would not eliminate Ukraine's capacity to defend the surrounding territory. Ukraine maintained several fortified lines in Donetsk. The loss of Pokrovsk would dismantle one of these key defenses, but it is anticipated that Ukrainian troops will simply withdraw to an alternative fortified line.

The city's capture would carry substantial weight in terms of political messaging. Russian leader VLADIMIR PUTIN had been working to persuade President DONALD TRUMP that Ukraine must relinquish its claim to Donetsk. Securing Pokrovsk would provide him with a fresh point of leverage. The Kremlin had communicated to Trump administration officials its willingness to accept a ceasefire — an objective Trump had eagerly pursued — but only if Ukraine fully retreated from the entire region.

Kyiv faced a decision on the duration of its defense, balancing the goal of imposing the greatest possible attrition on Moscow — which had suffered heavy casualties for minor territorial advances — against the costs. Ukraine's strategic thinking was not simply military; it was also political. The fall of Pokrovsk “is not a pretty headline,” as PETER ROUGH, director of the Center on Europe at the Hudson Institute, explained to NatSec Daily 14 November 2025. This was particularly true given Moscow's ongoing efforts to persuade the Trump administration that a Russian victory in the long conflict is an inevitability. Thus Ukrainians “are trying to hold on as long as possible” in Pokrovsk, Rough stated. A protracted defense would allow Kyiv to reinforce its case to U.S. officials, presenting itself as a capable military force that requires only additional external weaponry.

Speaking with Bloomberg News 14 November 2025, ZELENSKYY conceded that the circumstances in Pokrovsk are “very difficult” for his country's soldiers. He clarified that the final determination regarding any troop pullback would be made by the military leadership on site. “Nobody is pushing them to die for the sake of ruins,” Zelenskyy stated. He further emphasized, “the most important for us is our soldiers.” Zelenskyy also highlighted Russia's intention to leverage a triumph in Pokrovsk as a means to persuade President Trump that Ukraine ought to withdraw completely from Donetsk. “We cannot leave eastern Ukraine,” Zelenskyy declared. “Nobody will guarantee you that if they seize this or that town, they won’t move further. There is no deterrent factor.”

On 14 November 2025, Ukrainian cruise missiles and drones struck targets in Novorossiysk, located in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. In the city’s 15th Microdistrict, an S-400 air-defense battery was hit, triggering a major secondary explosion involving ammunition, missiles, and rocket fuel. Additional strikes hit the Shesharis Transshipment Oil Terminal, igniting a large fire. Shesharis serves as the end point of the Transneft Pipeline, a key conduit for Russian crude exports. Brent crude rose 1.6 percent overnight to $63.99 per barrel following the attack. The discount on Russian crude widened to $19.40 per barrel ahead of U.S. sanctions scheduled to take effect next week. In the spot market, Russian crude for December delivery fell to $44.60 per barrel—well below Moscow’s fiscal target of $70.

Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles also struck the Oryol Thermal Power Plant, damaging a maintenance building and the turbine hall. At least one missile was intercepted, with burning debris scattered across parts of the city.

Former British MI6 chief Richard Moore told Bloomberg that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war against Ukraine. He warned that the international community’s weak response to Russian aggression risks encouraging Chinese President Xi Jinping to believe that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would provoke only limited pushback. At the G7 Summit in Canada, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington assesses Russia as having no genuine interest in negotiating peace.

Ukrainian intelligence also released an assessment concluding that Moscow is preparing for a prolonged conflict. According to the report, the Kremlin’s strategic goals include consolidating total control over the Russian population, maximizing defense production, building a global anti-Western coalition, and preparing for a broader offensive deeper into Eastern Europe.

The "Witkoff plan" was a 28-point peace proposal drafted by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev that would require Ukraine to make significant territorial and military concessions to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire and security guarantees. Dmitriev leaked to Axios the initial report of the plan, closely aligned with the Kremlin’s maximalist demands. The proposal was a non-starter without significant changes, as it amounted to Ukraine giving up its sovereignty. The initiative was a Russian attempt to “play” the Trump Administration, eager to “show progress” on a deal. The plan, which the Trump administration reportedly backs and presented to Ukraine's national security advisor in November 2025, drew strong criticism from Kyiv and many European allies who view it as heavily tilted toward Russia. Russian officials involved in drafting the plan, such as Kirill Dmitriev, expressed optimism, claiming the draft aligns more closely with Moscow's positions than previous efforts, a sentiment echoed by analysis from European diplomats and news sources. Core provisions of the plan reportedly included:

• Territorial Concessions: Ukraine would be required to cede control of the remainder of the eastern Donbas region, including territory currently under its control, and effectively recognize Russian control over annexed Crimea.
• Military Reduction: Ukraine's armed forces would be significantly reduced, potentially by half, and barred from possessing long-range weapons capable of striking deep inside Russia.
• No Foreign Troops/NATO: No foreign troops would be permitted on Ukrainian soil, and the plan implied a long-term abandonment of Ukraine's NATO aspirations.
• Political Demands: The proposal also required Russian to be an official state language in Ukraine and for the Russian Orthodox Church to be granted a protected status. These provisions directly echo political and cultural objectives the Kremlin has pursued for years.
• Security Guarantees: In return for these concessions, the US would provide security guarantees in the event of new Russian aggression, although the specific details of these guarantees are unclear.

The plan was drafted without Ukraine's direct input and was presented to Ukrainian officials during a period of military difficulty on the front lines and a domestic corruption scandal, leading some to suspect political motivation designed to pressure Ukraine into an unfavorable deal. Ukrainian officials viewed the demands as amounting to capitulation and a crossing of "every red line". European diplomats also expressed alarm and frustration at not being consulted on the proposal, which they fear could undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and embolden Russia.

The plan was "a rehash of the Putin surrender ultimatum from when Russian tanks were on the Kyiv ring road in March 2022" noted Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. The "Witkoff plan" largely aligns with and essentially mirrors the maximalist demands that Russia has consistently put forward since the beginning of its full-scale invasion. The key provisions of the plan echo long-standing Kremlin objectives, requiring significant concessions solely from Ukraine. The plan primarily outlines Ukrainian concessions, with few or no clear concessions expected from Russia in return, which has been characteristic of Russia's approach to negotiations.

“Russians see Witkoff, almost an agent of influence, a kind of unwitting tool to help keep Russia's demands fresh in Trump's heads.” US special envoy Steve Witkoff is being used as an “unwitting agent” for Vladimir Putin's Kremlin, to emphasise Russia’s motives that they won’t prepare any concessions to help end the War in Ukraine. "This is sour old wine in dirty old bottles" said The New York Times’s Steven Erlanger. "And they're also talking, which they've never stopped talking about, of a new strategic architecture for Europe, which would deeply harm NATO and NATO's deterrence."

Vlad Vexler [ living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)] noted "The lead story here is about US imperial decline. That you've got somebody who is not just ludicrously pro-Russian in disposition as Mr. Wickoff is, but somebody who is ludicrously professionally unsuited to the task that Mr. Trump has given them, performing this task for what is supposed to be the most powerful country in the world. .. It's not contingent fast because clowns arrive when democracies decline and when democracies decline state capacity erodess and when state capacity erodes clowns arrive. So we're what witnessing imperial decline here. So this is a bigger historical story than just Wickoff shouldn't be doing what he's doing."

Jonathan MS Pearce from ATP Geopolitics [diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis] noted "the new peace deal that appears to be something concocted by the Russians and the Americans together without the Ukrainians. A classic talking about Ukraine without Ukraine. So, we're back to that situation. And it looks like the Americans have lost patience and are going to dictate the peace deal. uh essentially one imagines is a very pro-Russian peace deal to the Ukrainians and given Ukrainians vulnerable position at the moment in terms of their own domestic political situation with the corruption scandal and given the battlefield situation the Americans might feel quite bullish."

Many observers wondered what was the point of all that money, deaths, and destruction that Ukraine and Europe have spent, over the past three years? It seemed the US has completely sold out Europe and Ukraine. Some believed that Ukraine and Europe have been greatly insulted, and that for Ukraine, this agreement is no different from an unconditional surrender. Zelenskyy's acceptance would leading to his defeat in the election and subsequent retribution. He would never agree to it. However, Zelenskyy did not give the firm rejection many had expected. Instead, he simply stated that he was ready to cooperate with partners in the United States, Europe, and around the world. His statement neither confirmed nor denied the relationship left room for speculation.

Following a day of hysteria from the EU and Ukraine over the latest US "capitulation plan," Trump addressed the press, declaring that the current offer to Kyiv is not final, and that if Zelenskyy rejects it, he can continue to fight Russia with all his might. Delegations from the US, EU, and Ukraine will meet in Geneva to discuss the American peace plan. The Ukrainian delegation, led by Yermak, includes:

• Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak.
• Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustam Umerov.
• Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov.
• Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrey Gnatov.
• Head of the SVR Oleg Ivashchenko.
• Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Kislitsa.
• First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Yevhen Ostryansky.
• Alexander Bevz, Advisor to the Chief of Staff of the President.

The full composition of the American delegation is currently unknown, with only Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff expected to participate. It's likely that Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, who has been appointed special envoy for Ukraine, will also participate in the talks.

EU leaders rejected provisions in the peace plan concerning the limitation of the Ukrainian army's size, the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbas, and Ukraine's refusal to join NATO. "We firmly adhere to the principle that borders should not be changed by force. We are also concerned about the proposed restrictions on Ukraine's armed forces, which will make Ukraine vulnerable to future attack. We reiterate that the implementation of the provisions concerning the European Union and NATO will require the consent of EU and NATO members, respectively," the statement reads. A joint statement from the European Union, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom stated that they are ready to participate in the US plan's revision .

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address that Ukraine is currently facing a critical moment, with the risk of losing a key partner or compromising its dignity. He assured that he will work to establish constructive dialogue with the country’s main partner. “This is one of the most difficult moments in our history. The pressure on Ukraine is immense. Today, Ukraine faces an extremely difficult choice: either lose our dignity or risk losing a key partner. Either face the 28 challenging points, or endure an extremely harsh winter and additional risks,” Zelenskyy stated.

On November 21 in Poland, Operation Horizon began, under which up to 10,000 service members were involved in countering sabotage on the country’s territory.

Ukrainian military is holding defenses in Kostyantynivka, the city center, in particular, is under the control of the Ukrainian army. This was reported 25 November 2025 by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram on November 25, publishing a video of the commander of the 19th Army Corps, Brigadier General Oleksandr Bakulin. He said that the Russian command reported to Putin about the alleged clearing of the center of the city of Konstantinovka, Donetsk region. However, the commander of the 19th Army Corps showed in a video that he was in the central part of the city. "Nobody is cleaning the city center. It's so destroyed, so war-torn, but it's ours."

The Russian army is trying to cut off the communication between Myrnograd and Pokrovsk and seeks to surround the city, advancing towards the settlements of Rivne and Svitle. This was reported by the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on November 25.

"Search and assault operations and the elimination of the enemy in the urban area are ongoing in Pokrovsk. Additional logistical routes to Pokrovsk and Myrnograd are being organized to ensure the uninterrupted provision of our units with everything they need," the the Group of Forces "East" reported. The Group added that the Russian army is suffering significant losses in both manpower and equipment. Assault groups of the invaders and their places of accumulation are being identified and destroyed.

“The current frontline must remain the starting point for negotiations. An aggressor like Russia must not receive anything for its aggression. Otherwise, it will only expand. Even if hostilities stopped now, there would still remain an imperial and aggressive Russia whose ambitions reach far beyond Ukraine,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said at the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum on 25 November. “The threat to our country from Russia is no longer a distant concern. It is already a reality today — a situation in which Russia increasingly blurs the line between war and peace through its hybrid warfare,” the German diplomat said, citing leading think tanks that describe the current stage as ‘Phase 0’ of Russia’s war against NATO: drone flights, airspace violations, attacks, sabotage, and propaganda and disinformation campaigns.

The Defense Forces have liberated more than 430 square kilometers north of Pokrovsk as a result of counteroffensive actions in the Dobropillia sector, Syrskyi said 25 November 2025. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated this at a meeting of the EU Military Committee. The meeting was chaired by General Sean Clancy. Syrskyi spoke via video link.He informed the participants about the current situation in the areas of hostilities. He noted that the operational-strategic situation remains complex. The enemy continues to attack peaceful cities in Ukraine and energy infrastructure, while intensifying offensive actions along the line of contact.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russians had launched over 112,000 attack UAVs Shahed, targeting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of children and civilians. From late August to October this year, despite enemy pressure, the Defense Forces managed to conduct counteroffensive actions in the Dobropillia sector. As a result, Ukrainian units split the enemy’s offensive grouping. Russian losses amounted to more than 13,000 killed and wounded.

Russian forces have reportedly changed tactics, using small assault groups without armored vehicles to penetrate deep into Ukrainian-held territory. Ukrainian forces are conducting active counteroffensive and defensive actions to prevent the enemy from gaining the initiative. Despite the gains north of the city, the situation around Pokrovsk itself is dire. As of late November 2025, Russian forces have encircled Pokrovsk on three sides and largely control most of the city, leaving only a narrow corridor for Ukrainian forces. Russian forces are attempting to fully encircle the remaining Ukrainian troops and cut off supply lines, with fighting reported inside the urban area.

On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy has concentrated more than 150,000 troops and continues assault operations. The defense forces respond with counteroffensive actions and defensive operations. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on these events in his address following the briefing by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Syrskyi briefed the head of state on the frontline situation, as well as on the Russian disinformation operations and the enemy’s plans. According to the President, the situation on the Pokrovsk direction is the most challenging: every day the invaders carry out the most intense attacks, which have been going on for months, but Ukrainian defenders are destroying the enemy.