Russia demands Donetsk region of Ukraine in ceasefire agreement

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published August 19, 2025 at 10:56 AM CDT

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An aerial view of Chasiv Yar shows the frontline city in ruins after heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces for over a year, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/File)

The Kremlin is demanding that Ukraine give up the entire Donetsk oblast as part of any ceasefire agreement. Donetsk is strategically important to Ukraine, as is its so-called “fortress belt,” the fortified defensive line since Russia invaded in 2014.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Kateryna Stepanenko, Russian analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, about why Donetsk, and the greater Donbas region, is so important to Ukraine and why Russia wants control of it.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.