‘They can strike at any moment’: Ukrainian strongholds under pressure as Russian forces edge closer

Key Points:

• The city of Kramatorsk, one of Ukraine’s last strongholds in the Donbas region, is under intense and frequent Russian attacks, with daily bombings and drone strikes making life dangerous for residents and soldiers alike.
• Russian forces are slowly advancing toward key eastern Ukrainian cities such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, gradually eroding Ukraine’s defensive "fortress belt," although their progress is slow and comes at a high cost in casualties.
• Despite Russia’s territorial gains being limited compared to last year, Moscow continues its grinding warfare strategy, destroying infrastructure and rendering captured cities largely uninhabitable, as seen in Bakhmut and Pokrovsk.
• Ukrainian officials report that nearly 93,000 civilians remain in government-controlled Donetsk areas, but evacuations are increasingly difficult due to heavy mining and constant drone surveillance, severely impacting civilian life and military logistics.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin remains committed to his war objectives in Ukraine, claiming ongoing battlefield advances and aiming to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with preparations underway for further offensives against key Ukrainian cities.