Friday, July 11, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Ukraine’s counter-offensive fails to succeed

The war in Ukraine

Published 12 August 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Ukraine's pre-announced counteroffensive has stalled.
3 minute read

Two months of fierce fighting have yielded little success for Kiev, with tremendous casualties, despite large amounts of Western arms support. The Ukrainian cause is now further complicated by Russia’s emerging offensive in Kupiansk, in eastern Ukraine.

The much-hyped counter-offensive has so far seen little success for the Ukrainian army. A few square kilometers have been advanced on individual fronts, but so far they have not reached even the first Russian defense line.

The initial positive tones of the tax-financed SVT’s recurring Lieutenant Colonels Paasikivi and Huovinen have slowly but surely changed tone, as has the rest of the Western media, which admits that “the counteroffensive is unexpectedly slow”, as The Washington Post puts it.

High price

The number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the nearly 10-week-long offensive has been estimated at as many as 24 000 dead, wounded and missing per month. Of the Western military support, there are figures indicating up to 50 percent destruction of equipment.

The burnt-out Leopard 2, the American Bradley, the Himar rocket artillery system, the Patriot air defense system and even the Swedish Armed Forces’ Stridsfordon 90 are some examples of weapon systems scattered along the front line.

A destroyed Bradley tank at what has been named “Bradley Square”, in southern Ukraine. Photo: facsimile/Telegram.

Despite the losses, Ukraine continues to press forward with small groups of infantry, mainly from its territorial defense brigades. There are reports of units crossing the Dnieper River at the village of Kozachi Laheri. Even here, however, they are said to have encountered stiff resistance from hastily summoned Russian reinforcements.

On the Bakhmut front, the possibility of greater success initially appeared, but here too the Ukrainian attacks have faded as a result of powerful Russian counterattacks, including combinations of Lancet drones, attack helicopters and artillery.

East of the city of Zaporizhzhia, smaller Ukrainian units have reportedly penetrated small settlements such as Staromaiorske and Urozhaine, again at the cost of heavy losses and difficulties in advancing further.

Change of tactics

According to reports from several quarters, the Ukrainian army has changed its strategy as initial tactics are deemed to have stalled. Instead of attacking with columns of tanks and armored vehicles, they are now using infantry units at group and platoon level. So far, with virtually the same tragic results.

The Russian defensive positions, heavily fortified months in advance, including 100,000s of mines, and Russia’s air superiority, combine to make the Ukrainian counteroffensive’s chances of rapid success in the near future remote.

Russia has also restarted its own offensive operations. A week ago, Russian forces, with figures indicating around 100,000 troops and up to 1,000 tanks, began an operation in the easternmost part of the front line, in and around the city of Kupiansk.

Reports indicate that the operation has resulted in at least a couple of bridgeheads on the Ukrainian side of the frontline and that Russian forces have captured several smaller settlements and villages.

Recent reports confirm that as a result of the renewed fighting around Kupiansk, the regional Ukrainian military government has decided to evacuate the civilian population in the area. Those who choose to stay behind will have to sign a document clearly stating that they are staying “at their own risk”.

The war continues

The continued unwillingness to broker peace is also being sharply criticized by the US, one of whose critics is retired and highly decorated Colonel Douglas Macgregor. However, the recently concluded peace conference in Saudi Arabia – without Russia’s participation – is reported to have made some marginal progress.

However, much remains to be done before anything concrete is on the table, and as long as Russia does not participate in the talks, there is a risk that the prospects for a lasting peace in the near future will once again fade away.

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Ukraine reports record civilian casualties in June

The war in Ukraine

Published today 7:27
– By Editorial Staff
The number of civilian casualties continues to rise on both sides in the Ukraine war. The image shows victims of a Russian shelling attack against the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine in June this year.
3 minute read

The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine reached its highest level since 2022 during June 2025, according to a new report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country. At least 232 civilians were killed and 1,343 injured during the month – figures that testify to a dramatic escalation in how the war affects the civilian population.

The UN report shows that Russia conducted 10 times more missile attacks during June 2025 compared to the same month the previous year. The attacks hit 16 regions in Ukraine, including the capital Kiev, and caused deaths and injuries far from the front lines.

“Civilians across Ukraine are facing levels of suffering we have not seen in over three years”, says Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

According to the report, almost half of all civilian casualties were caused by missiles and aerial bombs in densely populated areas. Meanwhile, short-range drone attacks continued to kill and injure civilians near the front lines.

Targets of the Russian attacks

Based on reports from the conflict, Russian attacks primarily target energy infrastructure such as power plants, gas storage facilities, and power lines. Russia has systematically attacked Ukraine’s energy supply in an attempt to paralyze the country, with over 2,400 attacks on energy facilities since February 2022.

Military recruitment centers and other strategic targets have also been subject to Russian attacks. The Russian Defense Ministry often justifies attacks on energy and fuel facilities by claiming they are used by the Ukrainian military.

Despite these facilities potentially having military significance, the civilian population is severely affected when they are attacked. Civilian casualties occur both from direct hits and from debris from downed missiles when Ukrainian air defenses respond.

Several of the civilian deaths have occurred in nighttime attacks on the capital Kiev, where attacks were previously uncommon. During massive attacks during the night against Thursday in the Kiev region that lasted almost ten hours, Russian forces used 397 Shahed drones and 18 missiles against Ukrainian targets. At least two people were killed and 22 injured in that attack on Kyiv.

Woman who became a victim of heavy Russian bombing in northeastern Ukraine on June 7 this year.

Sharp increase during 2025

The total number of civilian deaths and injuries during the first half of 2025 is 6,754 people, which is 54 percent more compared to the same period in 2024. During the first six months of 2025, the number of civilian deaths increased by 17 percent and injuries by 64 percent.

Since the war broke out on February 24, 2022, the UN monitoring mission has registered at least 13,580 civilian deaths, including 716 children. Additionally, 34,115 injured civilians were reported, including 2,173 children.

The UN monitoring mission warns that the actual figures for civilian casualties may be significantly higher than what is reported, given the challenges and time required for adequate verification of all deaths and injuries.

“No place in Ukraine is completely safe”

Danielle Bell from the UN monitoring mission has previously warned: “Almost half of the civilian casualties over the past three months have died far away from the front lines. We can conclude that no place in Ukraine is completely safe”.

No peace is yet in sight in the over three-year-long armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that continues with Western involvement.

Russia now allows foreigners in the military

The war in Ukraine

Published yesterday 9:39
– By Editorial Staff
Vladimir Putin with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
1 minute read

Non-Russian citizens will now be allowed to enlist in the military, according to a law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The state-run Russian news agency Tass reports that the new law enables stateless persons and foreigners to sign contracts and serve in the Russian military until the end of the mobilization period, the lifting of the state of emergency, or the end of martial law in Russia.

The law is said to have been expedited “in order to take urgent additional measures to restaff the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation” according to the explanation in the legal document.

Slovakia urges West to engage in dialogue with Russia

The new cold war

Published 2 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Juraj Blanar believes that Western leaders must use diplomacy and dialogue to end the war.
2 minute read

Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar believes that the war in Ukraine cannot be decided on the battlefield. Instead, he urges the Western world to seek a peaceful solution through direct dialogue with Russia – and warns that continued tensions could lead to a catastrophic large-scale war between NATO and Moscow.

– We do not want a war between Russia and NATO to break out, because that would be the Third World War. We want the conflict to be settled peacefully, Blanar said during a discussion program on Slovak public broadcaster STVR last Sunday.

Blanar emphasized the importance of diplomacy and called for a return to “respect for international law”. He also suggested that the Western world should seek ways to renew contact with Moscow – “and perhaps even forgive everything that has happened”.

Slovakia, like Hungary, has consistently pushed for de-escalation of the conflict and opposed additional EU sanctions against Russia.

The country’s president Peter Pellegrini has also urged EU member states to resume direct talks with Moscow and has simultaneously rejected demands for rapid military buildup within NATO, arguing that defense spending should reflect each country’s own priorities – rather than concerns about Russia.

Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality

Russian officials have condemned the US-led bloc’s decision last week that member countries should raise their defense budgets to 5 percent of GDP – a measure that NATO says will deter the “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security”.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it has no intentions of attacking any NATO country and has called the accusations “nonsense” – a scare tactic that, according to Moscow, is used by the West to legitimize increased defense spending.

Moscow states that it seeks a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that a lasting agreement must include recognition of the actual situation “on the ground”, as well as Ukrainian neutrality.

According to Putin, contacts between Moscow and Kyiv are being maintained regarding a possible third round of peace negotiations. Previous talks have been held in Turkey, where the parties have exchanged draft peace proposals and carried out several prisoner exchanges.

Majority of Ukrainians want peace through compromise

The war in Ukraine

Published 1 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
It was previously often claimed that Russia would be defeated on the battlefield - today the picture is different, and more voices are advocating for peace through negotiations instead.
2 minute read

A majority of Ukraine’s population now indicates they are willing to accept compromises or make concessions to end the war with Russia.

This is shown in a new opinion poll conducted by the Ukrainian think tank Janus Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, the polling institute SOCIS Centre for Social and Marketing Research, and the publication Barometer of Public Opinion, which compiles and disseminates opinion data.

According to the survey, 55.7 percent of respondents now support a solution through compromise with the involvement of international leaders. An additional 16.6 percent advocate for a temporary freezing of the war, with a ceasefire along the current line of contact.

Photo: facsimile/socis.kiev.ua

In total, this means that over 70 percent of respondents are open to some form of settlement or pause in the hostilities.

Meanwhile, 12.8 percent want to continue the war until Ukraine’s borders from 1991 are restored, while 8.6 percent indicate they prefer continued fighting until the borders from February 23, 2022 – the day before the Russian invasion began – are restored.

1.2 percent chose another option, and 5 percent of respondents refused to answer or could not take a position.

Photo: facsimile/socis.kiev.ua

The survey also shows that 57.6 percent believe elections should be held in Ukraine if peace negotiations with Russia lead to a temporary cessation of hostilities and an end to the state of war.

The opinion poll was conducted between June 6-11, 2025, and included 2,000 respondents aged 18 and older who were interviewed in person across Ukraine. The survey did not include residents in temporarily occupied areas or in areas where active fighting was ongoing at the time of data collection. The statistical margin of error is stated as ±2.6 percent.

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