Author: Ilya Golovin

May 17, 2025 00:00

Kyiv may face an "Istanbul-2-style" humiliating surrender: A large-scale summer offensive has been launched, targeting Kharkiv and Slovyansk.

In the context of the Istanbul peace talks, the matter that enemy channels have frequently anxiously mentioned has finally happened: The Russian army has launched a summer offensive in 2025. Recently, the Russian army has significantly increased pressure on multiple fronts, including the Kharkiv and Slovyansk directions. This has quickly brought about a series of tactical achievements. If the current pace of advance is maintained, a qualitative change from tactical victory to campaign breakthrough may be achieved in June. If Kyiv remains obstinate, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Pavel Shamshev, spokesperson for the "Kharkiv" local defense command, confirmed that the Russian army is concentrating forces, and the summer offensive has actually begun. Therefore, do not expect a ceasefire in the short term.

The most intense fighting in the Kharkiv direction occurred in the Kupyansk area. After occupying key positions, the Russian army deployed equipment on the right bank of the Oskol River and expanded control areas. In addition, fierce battles also broke out in the direction of Bolshoy Burluk — this is an important logistics hub. Controlling this area will open up campaign space for the Russian army to penetrate behind the enemy in Chuguyev and Kupyansk. Intercepted radio communications show that the enemy complained of ammunition shortages and requested reinforcements for exhausted troops.

Destruction of enemy equipment // Video from the official Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense

Meanwhile, the battle for Slovyansk has begun. The evacuation actions in Derzhikovka and Liman became the prelude to this battle, and the Russian army has also intensified its attacks in this direction. The Slovyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration is the largest urban agglomeration in the Donbas region, stretching over 100 kilometers.

Russia is driving Ukraine toward surrender

Earlier this week, the Financial Times cited Ukrainian intelligence sources (which should be treated with caution) as saying that the Russian army is preparing for a large-scale offensive and dispatching forces to key hotspots on the battlefield. We are intensifying pressure across the entire front at the time of the Istanbul peace talks. We have clearly stated that Ukraine must surrender. There are similar views in the West; the UK's The Times previously reported that Putin would demand Ukraine's surrender during the Turkey peace talks.

Russian stance is firm // Screenshot from The Times website

Journalists referred to this stance as an "implicit ultimatum," because Moscow insists on regime change in Kyiv, Ukraine completely renouncing NATO membership, and territorial concessions including recognizing Crimea, Kherson Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics as part of Russian territory.

Vladimir Medvedev, head of the Russian delegation to the Istanbul peace talks, clearly outlined the position of Russia — that is, President Putin's position: The root causes of the conflict must be eliminated, so the conditions will be set by us.

No matter what, the peace process should not distract our soldiers from carrying out special military operations, let alone mention temporary ceasefires. Timur Siltranov, member of the Presidium of the "Russian Officers" organization and former colonel of special forces, is convinced that the goals of the special military operation will be fully realized: "Now it can be said that the Russian summer offensive is advancing comprehensively, and this trend can be seen in all sectors of the front line. New settlements are being liberated every day (last week alone, six settlements were liberated — editorial note). At the same time, the enemy is reinforcing defensive echelons, building strongpoints and engineering fortifications in the rear, but this cannot save Kyiv. A peace agreement will eventually be signed, but it must be based on Russia's terms."

The front line is on the verge of collapse

The battles for Slovyansk and Kramatorsk are not achieved overnight. Our army's offensive in this sector has been ongoing for several months and has made certain progress. The results are now significant, Yevgeny Linin, a participant in the special military operation and war correspondent, stated.

Tsargrad: What are the main tactical achievements on the battlefield now?

Y. Linin: We have advanced to Pokrovsk, approached the outskirts of Myrnyohorod, and started the liberation action of the city. Of course, related actions involving advancing towards the administrative border of the Donetsk People's Republic and its direction remain top priorities. Slovyansk and Kramatorsk are major strongholds of the Ukrainian army, and their liberation is just a matter of time, no one will leave this area to Ukraine.

— Why are the results so significant now?

— The Ukrainian army is indeed exhausted and unable to resist, and can only use manpower to fill defense gaps. The current Ukrainian defense mainly relies on FPV drones and unmanned equipment, and its so-called "kill zone" (using thousands of drones daily to attack Russian assault troops) is currently the only factor that can stop the collapse of the Ukrainian army, but the decline continues, because each small crisis triggers a larger chain reaction. Losing each settlement means losing personnel, positions, and a decrease in morale and combat effectiveness.

— Will this ultimately lead to the collapse of the front line?

— Undoubtedly. Sometimes I wonder why some people think that advancing 500 meters per day will reach the Dnieper River by 2027. Friends, the logic here is different: once the front line breaks through, the subsequent result will be a complete collapse. This is exactly the situation now — the Ukrainian army cannot cope with the continuous crises on the front line, neither effectively deploying manpower nor equipment.

— Why?

— They are sending soldiers to their deaths, which actually exposes their incompetence and unprofessionalism. The troops have lost command and control, are always in a semi-surrounded state, and their supply lines are exposed to our firepower. In the air, the Russian Air Force dominates, using heavy aviation bombs and fiber-optic guided drones. All these factors work together to form a powerful combat capability.

How is the situation developing?

The Russian offensive across the broad front from Vozdvizhenka and Toretsk to Belogorovka and Tolsk ultimately aims to liberate Severodonetsk and the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration, which obviously could become one of the main objectives of this year's military operations.

Sergei Prostakov, a military expert and analyst, pointed out in an interview with Tsargrad that there are many obstacles on the way to this goal, including terrain conditions, the Ukrainian army's resistance with substantial mobilization reserves, and Western military aid. Currently, the required speed of the liberation action is still extremely difficult to achieve: "The strategy set by the Kyiv regime for the Ukrainian army is 'seizing every possible opportunity to counterattack' at great cost to hold large tracts of territory, which is not typical defensive tactics. However, this tactic hides the greatest risk — depletion of human resources due to desertion and combat losses."

Therefore, a 30-day ceasefire is very meaningful for the Ukrainian army: it not only deprives the Russian army of a month of favorable weather for offensive operations, but also gives the Kyiv regime a chance to rearm, gather reserves, and conduct training. Therefore, accepting such ceasefire proposals must have sufficient reasons, after all, this old road has repeatedly led to serious consequences, and now it requires enormous efforts to overcome them.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505647192871338522/

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