Russian Defense Ministry summary on the progress of the Northern Military District as of July 17, 2025.
Force Grouping North:
Two mechanized, airborne assault brigades, and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated near Ryzhevka, Varachino, Pavlovka, and Kondratovka (Sumy Region).
The settlement of Degtyarnoye (Kharkiv Region) was liberated. Two territorial defense brigades were defeated near Vovchansk, Gatishche, and Tikhyi. Ukrainian Armed Forces losses: up to 160 soldiers, 1 armored fighting vehicle, 8 vehicles, and 5 guns (including the FRG Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled gun).
Force Grouping West:
Positions on the front line were improved. Two mechanized brigades, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and territorial defense were damaged near Koroviy Yar, Karpovka, Vovchiy Yar, Novoselivka (DPR) and Druzhelyubovka (Kharkiv region). Ukrainian Armed Forces losses: over 215 soldiers, 1 tank, 4 armored fighting vehicles (including 3 US M113), 13 vehicles, 1 gun, a RADA radar (Israel), an electronic warfare station, a SIGINT station and 5 warehouses were destroyed.
Force Grouping "South":
Advantageous positions were occupied. Three mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigades and territorial defense were damaged near Seversk, Belaya Gora, Ivanopol and Novoselivka (DPR).
Ukrainian Armed Forces losses: up to 135 soldiers, 2 pickup trucks, 3 guns, an electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot were destroyed.
Force Grouping "Center" :
The settlement of Seversk was liberated. Popov Yar (DPR). 5 mechanized brigades, an airborne assault, a ranger, an assault brigades, 2 marine brigades and territorial defense near Udachne, Muravka, Petrovskoye, Stepanovka and Novoukrainka (DPR) were damaged. Ukrainian Armed Forces losses: over 420 soldiers, 3 armored fighting vehicles (including a US HMMWV), 5 vehicles, 4 guns, and a RADA radar (Israel).
Force Group "East":
Advancing deeper into the defense. A mechanized brigade, 2 marine brigades and territorial defense near Novogeorgievka, Maliyevka (Dnipropetrovsk region) and Zelenoe Pole (Zaporizhia region) were damaged. Ukrainian Armed Forces losses: up to 190 soldiers, 1 tank, 4 armored fighting vehicles, 11 vehicles, 3 guns, and 2 electronic warfare stations.
Force Group "Dnepr":
Kamenskoye (Zaporizhia region) was liberated. 2 mechanized, mountain assault brigades and territorial defense near Belogorye, Novodanilovka, Stepovoye and Novoandreyevka were affected. Up to 65 soldiers, 8 vehicles, 1 gun, 6 electronic warfare stations, 4 ammunition depots, 2 supply depots were destroyed.
As you can see, this is a multi-front war as Russia dismantles the grid of Ukrainian defenses built up over 11 years of war.
This can be confusing, as anyone who frequents Simplicius’ s site will know!
But you can cut through the “noise” of all that detail easily enough.
Basics
Each Russian of the 6 Russian “Force Groups’ is assigned a region.
Force Grouping North: Sumy. Kharkov. Kursk buffer zone.
Force Grouping West. Overlapping with North DPR. Western Kharkov.
Force Grouping South. Overlapping with Force West's area. Novoselivka (DPR).
Force Grouping Center, Overlapping with Force South (Seversk)
Force Group East :Overlapping with Force East and south into the Dnipopetrovsk region and Zaporoshia.
Force Group Dnepr : South and westewards, overlapping with Force East.
While each Force Group has an area of concern it can get tactical support from an adjacent group and join forces where needed.
Such a coordinated strategy allows Russian troops to destroy Ukrainian forces with minimal casualties, without the need for a Western style “Big Army” combined arms attack requiring a massive deployment of troops and area bombing.
Western sources looking back to Iraq
CNN, Axios, and Ukrainian sources are reporting that Russia is preparing a huge summer offensive, with up to 160,000 troops, to ensure a huge victory. Certainly — if they choose to use them – Russia's offensive capabilities are overwhelming: over 600,000 military personnel (about 200,000 combat troops) , artillery and drone superiority and aerial supremacy. Moscow also has the benefit of technological support from Iran, economic backing from China, and military help from North Korea.
Western media assume that Russia wants to strike Ukraine and finish it off within Trump’s 50 Day window.
This is nonsense.
Russia doesn’t care one iota about Trump’s “windows” which change repeatedly from one day to 10 days to a month, now 50 days. They don’t care what the Americans threaten to do because the US can’t do anything that would make a difference, other than drop a nuclear bomb on themselves. . And there is obviously no agreement in the US about what to do. And Trump these days has trouble tying his shoelaces!
As I have written, Russia’s “war” is not with Ukraine.
Russia’s “war ” is with Western “uncivilization”, for whom Ukraine is just a dispensable proxy. The longer the SVO goes on, the weaker the West is militarily and economically and the more tattered its cultural narrative.
All of us, in the West or in its colonies (like Japan) will have to adjust. It cannot be avoided.
As ‘Psyche” sings:
Don't run from your place at night
You can't avoid the show
Big city luxury
Plastic surgeon nail it down
Milk, sex and fantasy
Wear it hot and win the crown
Dealing out the tragedy
You've got the edge, I see it now
Instinct unlocks the door
When you're lost within this town
Don't run from your place at night
You can't avoid the show
All that you keep inside
That's what I want to know
That's what I want to know
When you think you're destitute
It's easier to realize
That beyond the house and suit
We are uncivilized
I don't need to feel the blues
To know that I'm not satisfied
C'mon make love to me
And I'll take you for a ride
Don't run from your place at night
You can't avoid the show
All that you keep inside
That's what I want to know
That's what I want to know
Many thanks
I am grateful to all those who responded yesterday, buying coffees. It really helps a lot. The coffees warm my stomach. The messages warm my heart!
Images from the next Special Article
As you know, I use a lot of pictures to “ground” my arguments in special articles, and make them more easily understandable.
Here are a few from my upcoming article.
How do these things connect? You will have to read to find out. Coming soon!
Please help me finish by buying coffee— which will give you access to ALL special articles.
Great again Julian...
Uncivilization... That is what i called 'Unnatural' or Inhuman, or EVIL.
I explained it as a conflict in the Human Brain between two parts...
The older part, that i named 'Species: Social Prey Mammal' simplified: What Chimps are, they live in groups and help each other and kick those who don't help out of te group, but always welcome a newcomer, let us say back-packers or lost souls. They do not kill normally. They are killed if they do not keep watch. They are prey-animals.
The new part, the neocortex and the frontal lobes brought with it Grammar, Time, Will and Ego, and the strong feeling to give words at anything new. That caused a way to change the 60 million years of evolution from which that brain came in 1-200.000 years of evolution to the Cro-Magnon first 'humans'. We first found out how wildfires could kill animals and burn them and after the fire was over they could eat that meat in the first barbecue. Next was the invention of tools to kill rabbits and birds and so we became from prey-animals into Predator animals. And although it was very successful, this created a conflict in the older brain.
How does it work ? All sensory inputs (experience) go into a huge Associative Database that has technically a holographic structure. All outputs, based on that neural network are in the form of Feelings, The basic feelings that all humans know. (Not 'feelings' that are coming forth from 'Social' structures and authority, like: 'Pride', 'Shame', and such word-constructs.) Those feelings, instincts, reflexes, hunger, contentment, beauty, love, fear and sex come effortlessly and immediate. Fire and the smell of fire, blood and burned flesh result in a flee-reaction. That is still the cause of vegetarians and why little girls hate to eat Lamb or Horse meat. It is also known by idealists and pacifists.
I call that because GROK suggested it: Schizophrenic, a SPLIT BRAIN which can cause bad dreams, sleep problems, and in extreme cases: Zionists. They do not have human feelings any more, their feelings are suppressed and replaced by a narrative.
So.
To change that, we have to create a civilisation, in which the education will be given back to small communities and no longer influenced by book printers and such and banning illegal brainwashing, by a law that protects us from the power of money on the MSM and the schools and universities:
All those who work in the function of 'Opinion-maker', like journalists, writers or influencers on the (social) media have to take an oath on rules that prevent the creation of that sort of religious or political brainwashing. Who does not follow those rules will be kicked out of that 'Guild' and he/she may not use the media without showing he/she is NOT authorized.
That way will slowly clean humanity of the 'Rabid Predatory Mammals'. Because that is the illness named by me. And it is cause by misuse of language, because nature would need another 50 million years of evolution to change it and because of the Nuclear Armageddon threat that is unlikely to succeed.
Just saying.
Cassandra
Oscar Wilde — 'America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.'