Russia is intensifying pressure on the Donetsk region just as the United States and the Kremlin seek to advance a peace plan for Ukraine. Operational space in Donetsk is narrowing: Russian forces are pushing into new towns and expanding contested “gray zones.” Analysts warn the coming weeks could determine the fate of Ukraine’s eastern defenses. The fiercest fighting remains around Pokrovsk. Russian troops have taken the southern part of the city, including areas south of the railway that splits it in two.
The northern outskirts remain under Ukrainian control. Russian armor has entered the city, including a tank spotted in mid-November. Street battles are ongoing as Ukrainian forces launch counterattacks in an effort to break through to the center. Kostyantynivka is another flashpoint. Russian assault groups regularly push into the city and engage in small-arms firefights, but it is not under enemy control. Russian units are trying to bypass Kostyantynivka via Druzhkivka to seize both settlements and create an encirclement.
The Siverskyi Lyman area and the Lyman–Yampil axis have become strategically important. The loss of the Serebrianskyi forest has opened a corridor for advances toward Lyman and Yampil, while capturing Siversk or outflanking Lyman could offer a direct route to Sloviansk, further shrinking Ukraine’s operational depth.
Druzhkivka, Dobropillya, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk remain firmly under Ukrainian control but face daily strikes. Evacuations of civilians continue in several cities, and relentless attacks make life extremely difficult. Experts say Russia’s strategy remains hybrid, blending battlefield pressure with information campaigns targeting Ukraine, Europe and even the United States. The outcome of fighting for Lyman, Siversk, Kostyantynivka and the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad sector will shape the approaches to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
