Donetsk shaken, Russia declares control of three more hotspots

The situation on the Ukrainian battlefield continues to fluctuate as the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it has captured three villages in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

In a statement posted on its Telegram channel, the Russian Defense Ministry said its armed forces had “continued to penetrate enemy defenses” in the Donetsk region, which is currently the epicenter of fierce fighting. This is seen as a move to consolidate Moscow’s advantage on the battlefield after weeks of pressure on the eastern front.

Specifically, Russia said it had taken control of the villages of Sukhetske and Pankivka. These two settlements are near a section of the front where Russian troops are believed to have broken through Ukrainian defenses last week. Located between the logistics centers of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, control of the area could help Moscow put more pressure on Kiev’s supply lines.

In addition to Donetsk, the Russian military also announced that it had captured the village of Novogeorgiivka in Dnipropetrovsk province, in central-eastern Ukraine. This is an area that has rarely seen direct fighting before, so Russia's expansion of military operations in this direction is considered by analysts as a signal that Moscow wants to disperse Ukraine's defense forces.

Novogeorgiivka is not a major center, but Russia’s control of the village could pave the way for further attacks into central Ukraine. Some experts say the move is not purely military, but also a political message that Moscow is ready to expand the scope of the conflict if peace talks fail to produce the desired results.

So far, Ukraine has not confirmed the information provided by Russia. Kiev often accuses Moscow of exaggerating military victories for propaganda purposes. However, independent sources on the battlefield have recorded fierce fighting around the Pokrovsk region, meaning that the possibility that Russia has made certain advances cannot be ruled out.

As the fighting escalates, the international community continues to push for a peaceful solution. US President Donald Trump said he had reached an initial agreement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Trump, Russia has agreed to consider some security guarantees that the West has offered Kiev.

However, three sources familiar with the Trump-Putin call said the Russian leader had proposed holding a summit with Zelensky in Moscow, an idea that was quickly rejected by the Ukrainian president, who said it could be seen as an indirect recognition of Russia’s political superiority in the conflict.

Many European countries have been wary of new peace commitments. Some EU officials have said that hasty concessions could cost Ukraine its negotiating position. Instead, the EU has called for maintaining military and economic pressure on Moscow until there is a real sign of a ceasefire.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its fourth year, with huge human, infrastructure and economic losses. Meanwhile, Russia has maintained its military potential thanks to its economy not collapsing completely under the pressure of sanctions, making the short-term prospects for ending the conflict dim.

For Kiev, the loss of more settlements, however small, is a blow to morale and the ability to maintain a defense. Ukraine is forced to redistribute its forces in multiple directions, from Donetsk to Dnipropetrovsk, while its military and logistical resources are increasingly limited. This increases the need for military aid from the West.

The United States and its NATO allies now face a difficult choice: continue to pour more weapons and finance into Ukraine to maintain resistance, or push harder for a diplomatic solution and accept some territorial concessions. Both options are risky, as a prolonged conflict would drain the Western economy, while concessions could set a dangerous precedent for national sovereignty.

Novogeorgiivka may be just one piece of a larger picture of the conflict. While it is impossible to say whether these advances will change the overall situation, Moscow clearly wants to demonstrate that it still has the initiative.

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