Pierre Crom

  • Ukraine
    • Winter 2025, the betrayal
    • Year 11, the long war
    • Winter 2023-24
    • Zaporizhzhia
    • [TSE NASHE]
    • O.C. South
    • Russia invades Ukraine further
    • winter 2016
    • summer 2015
    • spring 2015
    • winter 2015
    • summer 2014
    • MH17
    • Donbas 2014
    • Crimea 2014
  • War in Ukraine
  • War in Ukraine on Google Maps
  • Subjectio
  • Subjectio on Google Maps
  • Amaranthine
  • Anticamera /antechamber/
  • R.S.
  • Contact
  • Biography
  • Aesthetics

February 2025 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine: A Ukrainian field hospital on the frontline bombed by Russian occupation forces. © Pierre Crom

A covert plan to hand Ukraine over to Russia is taking shape after months of unofficial talks between Russian and American diplomatic and security experts in Switzerland.
President Trump signaled alignment with Russia in a key UN vote on the third anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking a historic shift in U.S. foreign policy. Washington opposed a European-backed resolution at the UN General Assembly condemning Russian aggression, siding with Russia, North Korea, and Belarus. The Trump administration abruptly halts crucial USAID funding for humanitarian and civil society initiatives, further destabilizing Ukraine and undermining morale amid uncertain support.
In a push to oust democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky, Washington is calling for new elections, despite the fact that such elections cannot be held while Russia occupies parts of Ukraine.

February 2025 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine: A Ukrainian soldier on the frontline amid threats of kamikaze drones and artillery shelling. © Pierre Crom

Meanwhile, Trump extends an invitation to President Zelensky for a White House meeting, offering a deal on Ukrainian rare earth minerals—without any security guarantees. 

Military aid, including intelligence support, is paused for two weeks, tilting the balance in Russia’s favor as its forces push deeper into the Ukrainian-occupied Kursk region.
Despite pressure, Zelensky—backed by European allies, along with Canada, Japan and Australia—agrees to a U.S.-brokered 30-day ceasefire. Trump issues empty threats of sanctions against Russia, presenting them as a tactic to pressure Putin into compliance.

Yet, among Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, there is no belief that Russia will guarantee a lasting or just peace. Trust in Moscow has long been shattered, as every prior agreement has been violated.
On the battlefield, however, Russia’s momentum stalls as Ukrainian forces regain territory around Pokrovsk.

February 2025 in the Donetsk region, Ukraine: New recruits of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, all former convicts who served prison sentences before signing a contract, are training to counter FPV kamikaze drone attacks. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in the Donetsk region, Ukraine: Infantry soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including both new recruits and experienced servicemen, train together before deployment to the frontline. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine: Administration buildings were bombed by Russian occupation forces. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in Sloviansk: Residents play a game of ice hockey on a frozen lake. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in the Donetsk region, Ukraine: A vast open-pit mine stretches across the landscape. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in Kramatorsk: The remains of a victim lie among the rubble after Russian occupation forces bombed a residential area. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in Kramatorsk: Viktor places the hands of his deceased ex-wife, Olga, together, after Russian forces launched a missile at a residential area, killing at least four people. © Pierre Crom

February 2025 in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine: Light spills from the windows of a residential building, cutting through the evening darkness. © Pierre Crom