ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 23, 2025

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russia is weaponizing ongoing domestic protests in Ukraine to intensify rhetoric designed to undermine Ukraine’s legitimacy and discourage Western support.
• The ongoing Ukrainian protests are notably not anti-war demonstrations, but Russian commentators are trying to paint them as protests against Zelensky and Ukraine’s war effort in order to accomplish informational effects that will generate benefits for Russian forces on the battlefield.
• Ukrainian and Russian delegations met on July 23 in Istanbul for the third round of bilateral negotiations.
• Kremlin officials continue to undermine the negotiation process while reiterating Russia’s commitment to achieving its original war aims.
• Russia continues to diversify and bolster its security apparatus in an effort to centralize state power in a way that will worsen the already systematic abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians in Russia and occupied Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Chasiv Yar. Russian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy and in western Zaporizhia oblasts and near Borova.

Authors: Jennie Olmsted, Angelica Evans, Daria Novikov, Olivia Gibson, and Kateryna Stepanenko.

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