Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk region would destroy the so-called “belt of fortresses” that has held back Russian forces for the past 11 years, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to analysts, this defensive line consists of four large cities and a number of smaller settlements located along the H-20 Kostyantynivka - Sloviansk highway. The pre-war population of the region reached over 380 thousand people. The 50-kilometer-long defensive line is divided into two parts: the northern one, formed by Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, and the southern one, which includes Druzhkivka, Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka.
Sloviansk and Kramatorsk are key logistical hubs for Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka are also strategically important as part of the defense infrastructure that began to be created in 2014 after the liberation of these territories from pro-Russian militants.
ISW emphasizes that the Russian army is very likely to violate any future ceasefire or peace agreement if it does not provide for effective monitoring mechanisms and security guarantees. The loss of the fortified belt, on which Ukraine has spent years and significant resources, will open up the opportunity for the Russian Federation to resume the offensive under much more favorable conditions, without prolonged battles for territory.
Amid these warnings, rumors persist that in preparation for a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, options for agreements that could include territorial concessions are being discussed. Bloomberg reported that the Kremlin is demanding that Kyiv completely withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and give up Crimea, in exchange for promising to halt the offensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions along the current front line.
