Update 25: Russia's war with Ukraine

26 August 2022

The war in Ukraine has entered its seventh month with no signs of abating. Despite Russia now controlling about 20% of Ukraine, the war appears to have settled into a battlefield stalemate. Russia has claimed that the slowing pace of its military campaign in Ukraine is deliberate and driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties. Speaking at a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Uzbekistan, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said: “Everything is being done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing this deliberately”. A senior Ukrainian intelligence official, Kyrylo Budanov, said Russia’s offensive was slowing because of moral and physical fatigue in its ranks and Moscow’s “exhausted” resource base. Irrespective of the cause, the front lines have hardly moved in months, and it remains unlikely that either side can win a complete victory.

Read more in the attached pdf on: Ukrainian Independence Day; attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station; the Summit of the International Crimea Platform; the stalled diplomacy; Western military and financial assistance to Ukraine; the humanitarian consequences of the armed conflict; the investigation of war crimes; sanctions against Russia; energy security in Europe; and developments within NATO.