Donetsk shaken, Russia claims control of three more hotspots

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

According to a statement posted on its Telegram channel, the Russian Defense Ministry said its armed forces have “continued to penetrate the enemy’s defenses” in the Donetsk region – which is currently the center of fierce fighting. This is seen as a step 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 two 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 Army also announced that it had captured the village of Novogeorgiivka in Dnipropetrovsk province, in the central-eastern region of Ukraine. This is an area that has rarely witnessed 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 carries a political message that Moscow is ready to expand the scope of the conflict if peace talks do not yield 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 area, 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 confirmed that he had reached an initial consensus with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on holding a direct meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Mr. Trump, the Russian side agreed to consider some security guarantees that the West had given to Kiev.

However, three sources familiar with the Trump-Putin phone call revealed that the Russian leader 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 expressed reservations about 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 prospect of ending the conflict in the short term dim.

For Kiev, the loss of more settlements, however small, is a blow to morale and its ability to maintain its 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 US and its NATO allies now face a difficult choice: continue to pour more weapons and finance into Ukraine to maintain resistance, or push more strongly for a diplomatic solution, accepting some territorial concessions. Both options are potentially 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 part 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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