Ukraine War Update September 22, 2025

Facts from the Real War versus the Propaganda War

What most of the American and Western European media present to the public on the Ukraine War is Ukrainian propaganda. This propaganda is, however, the product of several dominating sources, which predominantly consist of American Deep-State agencies and their NGO (Non-government agency) fronts, a similarly entrenched anti-Russian British government bureaucracy, and a powerful and ruthless Ukrainian super-nationalist minority of not more than 5 to 15 percent.  The Ukrainian core comes from the absolutely dominant and thoroughly corrupt Right Sector and Freedom Party extreme nationalists. I use the term “absolutely dominant” because there has been minimal freedom of speech, political opinion, and media expression since the Right Sector and its allies came to power after a US-backed regime-change coup in 2014—most frequently called the Maidan Revolution.  Since the beginning of the Zelensky regime in 2019, all opposition parties have been outlawed; all opposition media has been shut down; and even the large and conservative Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been banned because of its connection to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The main American Deep-State agency influencing Ukrainian propaganda is the CIA and its civil front organization, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and its numerous sub-NGOs. These have for decades had a close relationship with George Soros NGOs. Most NED funding comes from USAID. One of its related agencies, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) makes grants to foreign media sympathetic to CIA objectives. More than 90 percent of Ukrainian media operates with NED, CIMA, or USAID funds. In addition to the CIA, British MI6 foreign intelligence heavily influences the content of Ukrainian propaganda. The US also exercises political influence by funding Ukrainian government at all levels, including pensions. Ukraine has become a dependent American satellite state. Ukrainians can vote, but their information and choices are restricted. They are only a nominal democracy under the Zelensky government.  

The CIA presents Ukrainian propaganda to the President and Congress and often leaks Ukrainian propaganda to the media. The main objective of Ukrainian propaganda is continued and increasing financial and weapons backing by the US and its NATO allies. This propaganda has sought to give the impression that Ukraine is winning or can win the war. It also seeks, contrary to abundant evidence, to convince US and NATO publics and leadership that the Russians want all of Ukraine and to conquer all of Europe or replicate the Soviet Union or Russian Empire. It constantly seeks to demonize Vladimir Putin and misrepresent Russian actions and statements. The consequences of distorted intelligence have been the destruction of Ukraine and bringing the US and NATO to the brink of war with major nuclear powers. CIA-Deep-State, and captive media consistently underestimate Russian and probably Chinese and Iranian military capabilities and overestimate US weapons effectiveness and military preparedness.

President Trump rightly wants peace, but he is surrounded by Deep-State Neocons who know nothing of Russia post the Reagan-Gorbachev Geneva Summit in November 1985 and do not want to know anything that contradicts their Cold War dedication to continual war with Russia and their imperialist hegemonic mindset.

Retired US Army Lt. General Keith Kellogg seems to be a major proponent of Neocon influence regarding Ukraine on Trump. In a recent speech in Ukraine, he gave an address that was purely Ukrainian propaganda, and I have to assume he is advocating this nonsense to the President. Unfortunately, he has much misguided and misinformed Congressional support. The President’s envoy to Moscow, Steve Witkoff, however, seems to have a better understanding of the Russians and reality. President Trump has made several recent statements about Ukrainian and Russian casualties that are demonstrably far from the truth. These were apparently repetitions of CIA briefing material or Kellogg influence. Such statements have hurt the President’s credibility. Dangerous times are best served by the truth.

Several estimates of Ukrainian military dead are around 1.7 million, which probably includes missing and permanently disabled wounded. A high estimate for comparable Russian casualties would be 125,000. This is mainly due to an overwhelming artillery and artillery ammunition dominance by the Russians, plus  much better recovery of wounded by the Russians. The Russians also have clear air superiority and now considerable numerical superiority in drones.  This dominance also extends to air-defense systems and superior missile and rocket systems, many of which are hypersonic. The Russians also seem to have acquired an advantage in electronic countermeasures. The Russians now have about 700,000 combat troops in Ukraine compared to less than 150,000 for the Ukrainians, including mercenaries. The Ukrainians had 450,000 combat ready troops in 2022 and another 400,000 ready reserves plus considerable manpower in political militias. This made them second in manpower only to Turkey in European NATO.

According to former US Army officer Stanislav Krapivnik, interviewed by Swiss Professor, author, and “Neutrality Studies” podcaster Pascal Lottaz, on September 12, 2025, over 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the Ukrainian attempt to invade the Russian oblast of Kursk from August 2024 to April 2025. The battle was mostly confined to about 10 percent of the Kursk oblast in its southwest corner. By mutual agreement, the Russians are now returning the remains of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian held territory. Of those from the Kursk conflict, over 2,000 were identified by documents carried as Polish soldiers in Ukrainian uniform. About 1,200 were identified as Colombian mercenaries. About 1,000 were Georgian mercenaries opposed to the present government of Georgia. There were about 190 American and 140 British mercenaries identified.

According to both retired US Army Col. Douglas Macgregor and former CIA and State Department official Larry Johnson, the total number of Polish soldiers killed fighting on the Ukrainian side is close to 10,000.  Earlier in the war, there were full Polish  battalions  (400-500 men), commanded by Polish officers, but this was discontinued because the Polish officers strongly objected to Ukrainian tactics that seemed suicidal to them. According to Krapivnik, a least a few of these battalions began to reject the Ukrainian ideology for the war on ethnic Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Former Polish President Andrzeja Duda (served 2015-2025) was a conservative, but he initially supported Ukraine in 2022.  Polish casualties during his tenure were kept quiet. However, Poland’s new and more conservative President Karol Nawrocki, elected August 6, 2025, is uncomfortable with Poland’s support for the Ukraine War and outraged that so many Polish soldiers were sacrificed to a questionable ideology and war. Nawrocki is a strong opponent of Poland’s present Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was elected in 2023 and now has a 56 percent disapproval rating by Polish voters. Tusk has been a consistent advocate of US/NATO war on Russia.

Also according to Larry Johnson, the body exchange ratio turned out to be less than 20 Russians for every batch of about one thousand Ukrainian dead. However, it was much easier for the Russians to recover their dead and wounded than it was for the Ukrainians.

Pro-Ukraine War leaders in Europe are getting remarkably low approval ratings in recent September 2025 polls. According to Statista, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gets a favorable rating by only 28 percent of British voters and a whopping 64 percent disapproval. France’s Macron has only a 15 percent approval and an astonishing 78 percent disapproval. Recently elected by the German Parliament, Chancellor Friederick Merz, of the  “conservative” Christian Democrat Union, has polling numbers falling too fast to be accurate. He has recently fallen from 35 percent to somewhere between 29 to 32 percent, with one poll showing only 22 percent. The conservative Alternative for Deutschland Party (AfD) is leading the latest September 15-19 poll with a 26 percent plurality, narrowly edging out the CDU with 25 percent. The Social Democrats (SPD) have crumbled to 15 percent. The Greens are maintaining 11 percent, the Left Party is 11 percent. Both the conservative AfD and the Left openly oppose the Ukraine War, and that position is increasingly popular in the CDU.

The Statista polling showed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with 71 percent approval. Italy’s Georgia Meloni has a 40 percent approval and Trump 44 percent with 48 percent disapproval. However, the Rassmussen daily poll of September 18, which has historically been most accurate, had Trump with a 53 percent approval and 47 percent disapproval. Note that the Statista polls have a third “unsure” choice, while Rassmussen has only approve or disapprove.  A separate Statista polling report on Russia indicated Putin’s approval rating was 86 percent. This is up from 79 percent near the beginning of the war. Putin won with over 88 percent in the March 2024 presidential election. Putin won his first election in 2000 with 53 percent. Since then the standard of living in Russia has improved enormously. The GDP per capita from 2000 to 2025 has grown over 8-fold. The more accurate GDP (PPP)  per capita figures would probably be even more impressive. Moreover, the vast majority of Russians now believe the American and NATO aim of the Ukraine War is to destroy Russia. Russian patriotism is in high spirit.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IsujJHfZBCM  [Ya Russky—I am Russian, by Shaman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LKhA40V0Ew  3.5 min. Shaman Ya Russky. English subtitles.

Drones launched into Poland

The Russian drones penetrating Poland are believed by most to be a Ukrainian false flag to stir up anti-Russian support in Poland and NATO. The exact number are not known, but they were slow moving non-armed decoy drones retrieved, repaired, and launched by the Ukrainians. There was no damage done in Poland, which was warned by the Belarusians of their approach.

Pokrovsk

The Russians are now advancing steadily over a 720 mile front at about 1 to 3 miles a day, in one recent case 12 miles. As Ukrainian troop concentrations collapse or retreat, Russian movement become faster. Pokrovsk is considered the key logistical rail and road complex and fortress held by the Ukrainians in eastern Ukraine. Formerly a Russian-speaking city of 60,000, no more than 7,000 civilian residents remain. It is about 320 miles to Kyiv. Common wisdom is that if Pokrovsk is captured by the Russians, most of the Ukrainian Army in eastern Ukraine will be isolated from supplies and major reinforcements, and the relatively flat terrain between Pokrovsk and Kyiv will make Kyiv vulnerable to a fast moving Russian tank, armored, and motorized infantry attack, greatly outnumbering the remains of the Ukrainian Army. This could mean the effective collapse of the Ukrainian Army and immanent economic and political collapse of Ukraine. The Russians already hold the southern, eastern, and center of the city. Zelensky has made an appearance to Ukrainian troops northwest of the city commanding them to stand fast at all costs. This has been disastrous strategy thus far in the war, causing enormous Ukrainian casualties. Western reports on Pokrovsk are still mostly outrageous Ukrainian propaganda, but readers should follow the battle for Pokrovsk. It could mean disaster for the Zelensky government.

Charlie Kirk on Ukraine and Zelensky

Charlie Kirk was opposed to the US-Ukraine proxy war on Russia for the same reasons I have expressed here and in many former articles. He was also highly critical of Ukrainian President Zelensky. Kirk even believed Zelensky might try to have him killed. See 5 minute 30 sec. video from July 15, 2023. Charlie Kirk podcast below:

https://www.rt.com/news/624491-charlie-kirk-ukraine-threat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Ukrainian military intelligence frequently uses assassinations as political terrorism, for example, the assassination of Darya Dugina, Russian political and media activist and 29-year-old daughter of renowned Russian political philosopher Aleksandr Dugin by car-bomb near Moscow on August 20, 2022.

Charlie Kirk, however, had been threatened by several groups.  All these should be investigated.

On September 19, three Russian Mig-31s  capable of carrying Kinzhal ballistic missiles violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes. They left when Italian F-35s appeared.  They were also visually monitored by Swedish JAS 39 fighters in the Baltic.  The Russians dismissed the protests, but they were probably testing NATO response times.  More likely, they were highlighting NATO weakness and warn NATO that interference in Ukraine, which is being proposed by NATO members, could have serious consequences.

You can observe on the internet that tremendous amounts of media money are being spent on a massive Ukrainian propaganda assault against Russia. Despite all this propaganda spending, public polls indicate Ukrainian propaganda is finally beginning to yield to the truth. Reality is that the Russians are winning the war, and all this outrageous Ukrainian propaganda and its ignominious cause will soon be exposed, taking many corrupt, rock-headed, or clueless  politicians down with it.

In April 2022, negotiations in Istanbul proved that Russia would have been satisfied to retain Crimea and allow the Donbas to be semi-autonomous republics within Ukraine as per the Minsk II agreement on February 12, 2015.  The April 2022 agreement having been cancelled by the Americans and British, Putin proceeded to asses  four Russian ethnic oblasts into the Russian Federation in September 2022—Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson. If Ukraine will not come to a settlement, former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev stated the remaining four Russian ethnic oblasts—Dnepropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Odessa—may also be annexed.  Given the mistreatment of ethnic Russians by the Ukraine government, the people of these oblasts would probably vote to become part of Russia. The Russians do not want the troubles of western Ukraine, but for military and security purposes they might take all of Ukraine east of the Dnieper River, and if necessary part or all of Kyiv, which was the birthplace of Russia circa 978 AD.      

“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. ‘One word of truth outweighs the world.”—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008). “One word of truth outweighs the world” is a Russian proverb. Solzhenitsyn’s father was of Russian descent; his mother was of Ukrainian descent.