4/ Belousov used Russia’s seizure of small- and medium-sized settlements to support false Russia claims that Russian forces can rapidly seize the significantly larger population centers comprising Ukraine’s Fortress Belt.

6/ The Kremlin is attempting to portray the claimed fall of Siversk as the start of the battle for Slovyansk – a battle the Kremlin has not set conditions on the ground to begin.

5/ The Kremlin claimed that Russian forces seized Siversk as part of the Kremlin’s intensified cognitive warfare effort that seeks to portray Ukraine’s frontline as on the verge of collapse, and Russian battlefield victory as inevitable. Russian seizure of Siversk is unconfirmed as of Dec. 11.

4/ Available open-source information indicates that Russian forces have not yet seized Pokrovsk, but the situation in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad area remains difficult.

8/ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the latest 20-point US-proposed peace plan.

Ukraine continued discussions with its European allies on December 8 about the ongoing peace negotiations.

4/ Russia’s resources are not endless as Putin is trying to assert, and Putin currently appears to be facing difficult decision points regarding the strategic sustainment of Russian force generation.

@thestudyofwar.bsky.social covered this in our report on Ukraine's fortress belt in August 2025.

understandingwar.org/research/rus...

1/ December 8, 2025, marks a year since the Assad regime collapsed. Since then, Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al Shara and his political coalition have been building a new army as part of their effort to unite and consolidate their control over Syria after the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war.

4/ India’s increased partnerships w/ RU are against the backdrop of RU’s growing reliance on N. Korea & the PRC to support the war.

UA advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area & near Novopavlivka & Oleksandrivka. RU marginally advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

3/ Russian forces are attempting to completely deny Ukrainian tactical- and operational-level logistics to the Pokrovsk direction using drones to achieve effects of battlefield air interdiction (BAI). isw.pub/UkrWar120525

2/ Available open-source information indicates that Russian forces have not encircled Ukrainian forces in Myrnohrad as of December 5 as Russian forces continue efforts to complete the encirclement of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad pocket. isw.pub/UkrWar120525