Fall of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk May Speed Donbass Liberation & Boost Russia’s Clout in Talks — Expert
/ Go to the mediabankRussian servicemen of the 40th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Sever Battlegroup fire a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher towards Ukrainian positions
/ Go to the mediabank
The renewed US diplomatic push for a settlement in Ukraine is driven by recognition that the country’s defenses are crumbling with Russian forces breaching the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk fortified area, veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin tells Sputnik.The fall of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk — the last major cities of the Donetsk People’s Republic still under Ukrainian control – “would mark a strategic breakthrough for Russia,” the analyst says.These are major industrial hubs with vital infrastructure and transport arteries, including railways and highways linking Donbass to central UkraineThe heavily fortified zone served as former headquarters for Ukrainian operations against the Donbass The loss of this fortified area would strip Ukraine’s military of the ability to mount serious resistance on this axis Liberation of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk would dramatically change the tactical picture: Russian forces would gain operational space to advance deeper into Ukraine, pushing westward toward the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions Ukraine would lose key logistics hubs *Defenses across the entire Donbass front would likely crumble The path would open to the complete liberation of the Donbass Commenting the visit by US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia, the analyst notes that situation must end on Russia’s terms, “addressing the root causes of the conflict.” “First and foremost, that means eliminating neo-Nazism in Ukraine and militarism,” adds the pundit.
Russia’s Special Operation in UkrainePutin–Trump Call Possible After US Envoys Visit Moscow, Kiev — Kremlin10:31 GMT
