ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, Map and Update, June 20, 2025

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russians and Ukrainians are one nation and all of Ukraine is effectively Russian as part of efforts to justify his continued conquest of Ukraine.
• Putin asserted that Russia will be able to achieve its goals through a protracted war in Ukraine.
• Putin and other Kremlin officials are using the guise of “buffer zones” to expand Russia’s territorial demands in Ukraine.
• The Kremlin continues to prioritize maintaining the facade of economic stability by pursuing economic policies that will likely exacerbate Russia’s economic instability.
• Putin is attempting to obfuscate the reality that increased investment in Russia’s defense industrial base (DIB) has come at the cost of Russia’s civilian economic sectors.
• Open-source intelligence suggests that Russia is increasing its T-90M tank production capabilities
• Ukraine and Russia conducted the sixth prisoner of war (POW) exchange in accordance with the June 2 Istanbul agreements.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov as Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces on June 19.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Siversk, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.

Authors: Christina Harward, Angelica Evans, Olivia Gibson, Anna Harvey, Jennie Olmsted, and Kateryna Stepanenko.

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