The war in Ukraine! The map of hostilities looks increasingly bleak for Volodymyr Zelenskyi

Ukraine has endured a difficult three months in which Russian forces have achieved front-line victories , which will probably continue through the winter, writes Newsweek.

"The trend is very worrying and there is no reason to expect the situation to calm down in December,”, commented Emil Castehelmi from the Finland-based Black Bird Group to the American publication.

In a post on the X social network, the OSINT analyst said that in the three months to December, Moscow's troops had captured about 1,600 square kilometers1 in Ukraine and 500 in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces had invaded but had already lost the western flank, as well as positions in the region of Donbass.

The publication says that Russia's heavy losses have not stopped the acceleration of its advance and "this fall has been dark for Ukraine”.

The Russian offensive is centered around the Donetsk logistics center Pokrovsk, as well as Kurakhovo. Moscow captured Ugledar in October and quickly advanced towards Velika Novosilka.

"The Ukrainians have had trouble stabilizing the front here for a long time, and in November the pace of the Russian advance there only accelerated compared to September and October,” Castehelmi told Newsweek.

"Assuming the Russians have sufficient manpower and equipment for the coming months, they will likely continue to attack aggressively. There are no immediate indications that the Russians will run out in the near future," Casthelmi also points out.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev may need diplomatic means to liberate some Russian-held territories, admitting that its army "lacks the strength to do so”.

"We need to find diplomatic solutions," Zelensky told the Japanese news agency Kyodo News. It was a shift from Kiev's previous rhetoric that full territorial integrity was central to any peace deal, amid concerns about what Donald Trump as US president would mean for US aid.

There were successes for Ukraine, which held the direction Toretsk-Chasov Yar-Seversk, denying the Russians a further advance in the northern Donbass. There was little change on the front in the south, in Zaporozhye. Kyiv also managed to inflict heavy losses.

But Castehelmi believes that Russian forces are likely to continue their offensive in the direction of Pokrovsk-Velika Novosilka and may soon capture another 700 square kilometers of territory.

"It is also likely that they will try to break through the Ukrainian defenses in Chasov Yar and Toretsk, as this will allow them to advance towards the most important cities still remaining in Donetsk, the first of which is Konstantinovka,” said he.

"However, I believe that the most action will be in the south and we may see the beginning of the Battle of Pokrovsk in the coming months,” Castehelmi added, noting that Ukraine has an ongoing manpower shortage problem.