Withdrawal from Donbas threatens loss of "fortress belt" that held back Russia for 11 years - ISW

The withdrawal from the territory of Donetsk Oblast as a precondition for a ceasefire will give Russian troops the opportunity to resume their attacks under much more favorable conditions, and also threatens the loss of the "fortress belt" that has deterred Russia for 11 years. This is stated in a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as reported by UNN.

Details

"Ceding the rest of Donetsk Oblast as a precondition for a ceasefire without commitments for a final peace settlement that would end the war would give Russian forces the opportunity to resume their attacks under much more favorable conditions, avoiding a protracted and bloody struggle for territory. Conceding to such a demand would force Ukraine to abandon its 'fortress belt' – the main fortified defensive line in Donetsk Oblast since 2014 – without any guarantees that fighting would not resume," the report states.

It is noted that over the past 11 years, the "ring belt" has served as the main obstacle to the Kremlin's territorial ambitions in Ukraine.

ISW notes that Russia's failure to capture Sloviansk in 2022 and the ongoing struggle to encompass the fortress belt underscore the success of Ukraine's long-term efforts to fortify the cities of the fortress belt.

"Russian forces were unable to conduct a broad encirclement of Ukraine's 'fortress belt' in 2022, and such an operation three and a half years into the war would likely be multi-year and result in significant personnel and material losses," analysts add.

Recall

US President Donald Trump announced that he would meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15.

As reported, Putin presented the Trump administration with a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which involves significant territorial concessions from Ukraine. This refers to Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the announcement of the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, stated Ukraine's readiness for real solutions for peace, but emphasized that Ukrainians would not give their land to the occupier. He stressed that the answer to the territorial question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine.