The Institute for the Study of War reported 8 August that surrendering remaining territories in Donetsk Oblast as a ceasefire prerequisite without securing a final peace agreement would grant Russian forces tactical advantages for future military operations.

“The surrender of the rest of Donetsk Oblast as the prerequisite of a ceasefire with no commitment to a final peace settlement ending the war would position Russian forces extremely well to renew their attacks on much more favorable terms, having avoided a long and bloody struggle for the ground,” the ISW analysed.

Such concessions would compel Ukraine to abandon what the institute terms its “fortress belt” — the primary fortified defensive line established in Donetsk Oblast in 2014. The ISW emphasizes that “conceding such a demand would force Ukraine to abandon its ‘fortress belt,’ the main fortified defensive line in Donetsk Oblast since 2014 — with no guarantee that fighting will not resume.”

The fortress belt consists of four major cities and multiple smaller settlements positioned along the H-20 Kostyantynivka-Sloviansk highway. The defensive line stretches 50 kilometers from north to south — approximately the distance between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland — and housed over 380,537 residents before the current war.

Sloviansk and Kramatorsk anchor the northern section of this defensive network, functioning as logistics hubs for Ukrainian military operations throughout Donetsk Oblast. Kramatorsk currently serves as the oblast’s provisional administrative center, replacing Donetsk City, which remains under Russian occupation. The southern portion of the fortress belt includes Druzhkivka, Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka, and Kostyantynivka.

The defensive infrastructure originated following Ukraine’s 2014 military operations against pro-Russian proxy forces. These forces initially captured Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostyantynivka in April 2014, but Ukrainian troops regained control by July of that year.

The ISW reports that Ukraine has invested 11 years in strengthening these positions, building “significant defense industrial and defensive infrastructure in and around these cities.” This sustained development effort represents substantial financial and strategic commitments that would be lost under any territorial concession scenario.

The analysis suggests that Russian forces would gain considerable operational advantages by securing these positions without conducting costly urban warfare operations. The fortress belt has served as what the ISW describes as “a major obstacle to the Kremlin’s territorial ambitions in Ukraine over the last 11 years.”

Russia’s total infiltration in Pokrovsk has failed as Ukraine’s top general Syrskyi says Russian attempts to slip inside were stopped fast. The commander-in-chief described how the army adapts to this tactic on several threatened directions and why the Pokrovsk sector in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast remains one of the most difficult areas.

Ukraine blocks total infiltration in Pokrovsk

Syrskyi wrote on Facebook on 2 August that Russian forces try a tactic of the so-called “total infiltration,” aiming to push through defenses without a large assault. He said these efforts include hidden movements toward Pokrovsk and other parts of Donetsk Oblast. According to him, these infiltration moves have been crushed before they reach their targets.

Syrskyi explained that he spent the day visiting all command posts of the Armed Forces and National Guard units holding the Pokrovsk direction. He said he met the commander of drone forces, corps commanders, and brigade commanders. During these meetings, they reviewed the battlefield conditions and planned how to strengthen defenses in areas where Russian pressure is growing.

The general said the situation is currently most dangerous on Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Novopavlivka directions. Russian forces seek weak spots, intensify their activity, and try to capture important Ukrainian urban areas. Syrskyi said Ukraine is countering total infiltration with special mobile reserves, whose role is to search for and destroy these teams before they can create problems inside the lines.

He stressed that the focus remains on improving fortifications. Syrskyi discussed with commanders how to reinforce positions with engineering work, minefields, barriers, and underground structures that protect against drones. He said this work continues but must be more active, broad, and complex.

Advancements

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in its 2 August daily reports that “Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Novopavlivka and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk.”

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