Russians are often called the masters of psychological warfare. Ahead of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to discuss the end of the Ukraine War, Moscow has sent another cryptic message, which seems to remind Kyiv of the changed geopolitical realities in the aftermath of the Putin-Trump Peace Summit in Alaska.

Russia’s state-run media outlet, Russia Today, published a video on August 18, showing a U.S.-made M113 armored personnel carrier bearing Russian and American flags, storming Ukrainian positions in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. It was not immediately clear when the video was shot.

The video was allegedly sent by Russian soldiers of the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Guards Division. The video probably shows an M113 that was supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies, and which was subsequently captured by Russian forces during fighting.

Notably, the video was released just hours before Zelenskyy’s White House meeting with US President Trump. The video is being interpreted as a subtle message by Moscow that the US has ditched Ukraine post the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska on August 15.

Since the summit, Trump has sent multiple messages that the onus to end the war now lies with Ukraine and the European leaders. He has also made it clear that Ukraine will have to accept territorial loss, that Crimea will not come back to Ukraine under any circumstances, and Kyiv could forget about NATO membership.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, saying, “President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.

“Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Trump added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian leaders criticized the use of the US flag by the Russian Army.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, condemned the video as “the height of insolence.”

“Russians are using the symbols of the United States in their own terrorist, aggressive war involving the killing of civilians,” Yermak wrote on Telegram.

The footage was allegedly filmed in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where Russia is preparing to make a new push, redeploying troops from other sectors of the front, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

About 70% of the region is under Russian occupation, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, the Kyiv Independent reported.

In September 2022, Russia declared the annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts, including Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson.

According to Western media reports, during his Alaska summit with Trump, Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, in return for his promise to freeze the frontlines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.

The use of the US flag along with the Russian flag by the Russian Army must have hurt the Ukrainians, who are under pressure on multiple fronts. On the one side, Russia has significantly increased the intensity of its attacks on the frontlines; at the same time, Ukraine is losing territory at a faster pace than at any other time in 2025.

On top of it, the US seems to have ditched Ukraine, suggesting that if Kyiv and European countries want to continue the war, then it’s up to them.

“We’re done with the funding of the Ukraine war business. We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing,” Vance had told Fox News ahead of the Alaska Summit.

However, Russia was not the only country sending strategic messages ahead of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump. Ukraine sent its own strategic message, signaling that it is capable of continuing the war and taking the fight to Russian cities even without US support.

Ukraine Long-Range Flamingo Missile Enters Serial Production

On August 17, Associated Press (AP) photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky reported that Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range Flamingo cruise missile has entered serial production.

Lukatsky, who was given access to photograph the missile at an undisclosed workshop of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point on August 14, reported that the missile has a range of 3,000 km (1,864 miles).

The technical specifications of the missile have not been made public. Also, the Ukrainian military has not publicly commented on the story.

A domestically developed long-range cruise missile can be a significant capability boost for Ukraine, which has been entirely dependent on Western nations for supplying Kyiv with such weapons.

The missile will allow Ukraine to take the fight back to Russian cities, which have so far been shielded by the worst impacts of the war.

While Ukrainian cities have to suffer an almost daily barrage of long-range missiles, Kyiv has so far been able to hit Russia’s heartland cities only with long-range drones. However, drones could carry only a minuscule warhead, limiting their impact.

The impressive 3,000-km range will bring Russia’s heartland cities, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, within its range.

The Flamingo appears to be closely modelled on the FP-5 design exhibited by Milanion, a UAE-headquartered defence contractor that has supplied the Ukrainian forces before and which often sets up local manufacturing of its products in customer nations, the Telegraph reported.

If the missile is indeed based on the FP-5, then it is a cruise missile. The Flamingo is a big beast, with a six-metre wingspan and weighing in at six tonnes, including a one-tonne warhead.

Even if the missile has reached serial production, there is no clarity as to when Ukraine will start using it in the field.

However, it must be noted that Russia has advanced air defense systems, and Ukraine will probably have to launch multiple missiles together, along with dozens of decoys and drones, to beat the Russian AD systems.

Theoretically, the missile will allow Ukraine to take the fight to Russian cities; however, the missile’s real-world effectiveness will be known only when Kyiv starts using them in large numbers.

Nevertheless, the missile represents a significant capability boost for Ukraine, which had neither long-range drones nor long-range missiles at the start of the war three years ago.

Earlier in June, Ukrainian media reported that the homegrown short-range Sapsan ballistic missile had successfully completed combat testing and is in the process of serial production.

However, it remains to be seen if the use of these missiles in significant numbers will be able to alter the course of the war.