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Donetsk Oblast: News

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Analysis: Ukraine, Russia set stage for climax of Battle of Donbas

This autumn, as Russia escalated its total-war-style strike campaign against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and economy, and relations between Kyiv and Washington hit an all-time low, the daily battles along Ukraine’s vast battlefield have faded into the background of the information space. Despite the reduced attention in international media — often spawning misleading perceptions that both sides are bogged down in some kind of stalemate — the attritional fighting in Ukraine’s east remains

Ukrainian soldiers return to their command post in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 28, 2026.

About Donetsk Oblast

The Kyiv Independent's news and on-the-ground reporting from Donetsk Oblast, covering 26,517 square kilometers (10,239 square miles) in Ukraine’s East with a pre-war population of approximately 4.1 million. The administrative center is Kramatorsk, as Donetsk city has remained under Russian occupation since 2014. Donetsk Oblast has been the scene of intense fighting, for example, around the cities of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Vuhledar, as Moscow attempts to capture the entire region.

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