By David Sole
The Ukraine war against the Russian Federation grinds on but is not going to plan as envisioned by the U.S. and its NATO allies. The plan was to back a coup in Kiev in 2014, build up a Ukrainian army to NATO standards and provoke a war with Russia in order to “weaken Russia” or even provoke a regime change against President Putin.
What the Western imperialists didn’t count on was that Russia would commit forcefully to keep NATO bases, troops and missiles from its thousand mile border with Ukraine and ultimately defeat that nation in brutal combat. This proxy war, begun with Russia’s Special Military Operation in February 2022, has decisively turned in Russia’s favor. This, despite hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of military weaponry, including jet fighters.
Slow, but steady, military advances by the Russians has marked the past year and a half of the war. In early August 2025 Russia announced it had taken the heavily fortified city of Chasov Yar which had been fought over for over a year in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the province that voted to become part of the Russian Federation.
Even before the fall of Chasov Yar, the New York Times had to explain “Why Russia is Gaining Ground in Ukraine.” It reported that “Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine is gaining ground as its forces attack on multiple fronts. In June, the country’s numerical advantages in troops and air power produced its biggest monthly gains in territory since the beginning of the year.”
On June 13 the Times reported that “It’s the first time in three years of war that Russian troops have entered the Dnipropetrovsk region, a sign of battlefield momentum.” The article admitted that “by pushing into Dnipropetrovsk, Russian forces are taking the fight to a region that many Ukrainians thought would remain untouched by ground fighting. [It] is one of Ukraine’s largest regions with a major industrial base and about three million residents.”
Despite Trump’s promise to end the Ukraine war in “24 hours” and pivot more toward a confrontation with China, he has had no success in advancing peace talks between the combatants. Russia had only reluctantly entered into war after years of provocations by Ukraine and its US/NATO handlers. And President Putin has always been clear that the war can only end with Ukraine’s military being dismantled, its pro-Nazi units disarmed and a solid guarantee that Ukraine will remain neutral, with no NATO membership.
Unable or unwilling to commit to these points, Trump is resorting to threats and bluster. On July 7 the Times said Trump announced the US “would send more weapons to Ukraine….Mr. Trump’s comments appeared to signal a reversal from the president after his administration paused some arms transfers to the country just last week.”
Reuters reported on July 10 that up to $300 million worth of weaponry would be sent, including Patriot missile systems. The package would be drawn from Pentagon stockpiles.
Trump also threatened Russia with heavier economic sanctions if Putin didn’t make a peace deal with Ukraine in “50 days.” This was on July 14. A few weeks later, Trump, in typical fashion, changed that deadline to “10 days.”
Escalating things further, Trump announced on August 1 that he had ordered two US nuclear submarines to proceed to positions in “appropriate regions” near Russia.
The Ukrainian puppet regime is fragmenting under the pressure of repeated military defeats. Unable to attract new military recruits in sufficient numbers to replace losses, military recruiters are using harsh measures and even kidnapping people off the streets. The Economist described it as “a heavy-handed mobilization campaign is unable to fill gaps in the front lines.”
The Kyiv Independent reported that a new law was signed by President Zelensky “allowing Ukrainian citizens over the age of 60 to voluntarily enlist in the military droning martial law… amid continued manpower shortages.”
Ukrainian support for their government has eroded to the point that mass anti-government protests erupted on the streets of Kiev, Odessa, Lviv and Dnipro. “From 22 July 2025, Ukrainians gathered…to protest the passing of a bill that aimed to ‘effectively destroy’ the power of two of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies. These were the first anti-government demonstrations” since the start of the war.
MSN reported that “Fistfight breaks out in Ukraine parliament after mass anti-corruption protests.” This preceded “a vote to restore the independence of the country’s anti-corruption agencies.” This vote came days after the July mass demonstrations. The legislators, alarmed by the mass intervention, voted 331 to 0 in favor.
These signs of instability in the Ukraine government and among the population can only intensify as the military situation deteriorates. With the Zelensky government completely under the thumb of the US and NATO allies and with Trump renewing US support for the war, only the intervention of the Ukrainian population can alter the course of death and destruction. The continuation of the hostilities will favor Russia. A reckless escalation by Trump or the European powers could engulf the whole world in the war.
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