ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 8, 2025

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to portray the Russian economy as able to support a protracted war in Ukraine — likely to buttress the ongoing Russian cognitive warfare effort falsely claiming that a Russian victory is inevitable.
  • Kremlin officials continue to demonstrate Russia’s unwillingness to compromise to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
  • Russia is reportedly planning to foment protests in Ukraine, likely to support the longstanding Kremlin narrative that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate.
  • Russian forces recently advanced near Borova and Pokrovsk.

See the original here.