Defiant Resilience: Ukrainian Forces Stand Firm in the Face of Donbas Adversity

DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — On the salty banks of Sloviansk, Sasha, a 22-year-old soldier from Kherson, enjoys a beer while smoking a cigarette. The shimmering salt lakes behind him reflect an indistinct horizon where the sky merges with the land. In the distance, a plume of smoke signals something ablaze. Along the shore, civilians and returning refugees enjoying a weekend in their homeland rest uncomfortably next to soldiers on rotation.

Summer has lingered far longer than any winter, leaving faces gaunt and expressionless.

Just 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) from the front line, the lakes of Sloviansk represent one of the few remaining fragile safe havens in the Donetsk region. Russian forces have intensified their offensive since late spring, currently attempting to surround the city of Kostiantynivka.

“Pokrovsk might fall by autumn,” one soldier mentions to me.

On the diplomatic front, Ukraine finds itself redefining its relationship with the U.S. in light of the Trump administration. Kyiv has adopted a conciliatory approach, agreeing to terms such as an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a rare-earth minerals agreement with Washington.

Initially, this strategy seemed to yield positive results. Amidst diplomatic efforts from Ukraine’s European allies and nights filled with Russian bombardments on Ukrainian cities, Trump appeared to toughen his stance, contemplating new sanctions against Moscow.

However, during an August 15 summit in Alaska, President Vladimir Putin dangled the prospect of peace in Ukraine before Trump, suggesting he might reduce his commitments. In exchange for a ceasefire on the southern front, Moscow demanded the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk region, about 70% of which is currently under Russian control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the offer, emphasizing that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits the surrender of territory.

More critically, conceding its remaining land in Donetsk — one of Ukraine’s most fortified regions that acts as a shield against Russian advances towards Kharkiv and Dnipro — would be unfathomable, according to Kyiv-based foreign policy and security analyst Jimmy Rushton.

“Ukraine has the Donbas line, an extensive system of defenses spanning Donetsk,” Rushton explained. “It’s well-constructed, featuring deep anti-tank trenches, fortified positions, and concrete bunkers. Many were built at a significant cost.”

Abandoning such defenses would leave Ukraine vulnerable, he added.

“The ground behind is flat and unobstructed, lacking prepared defenses,” he continued. “Donetsk offers strategic high ground and established defense positions, making it far easier to protect.”

While diplomatic strategies continue, Sasha has experienced the war first hand.

“I spent three years in the infantry. I’m one of the last survivors from my initial unit,” he says quietly. “Now, I’m in artillery. My body can’t handle the infantry anymore.”

He focuses only on the day ahead. For him, peace — whether promised by Washington or Moscow — feels implausible.

“They’ll take years to seize all of Donbas,” he states. “So why give it up for free? How could we relinquish it after losing so many friends and family at the front?”

Yet, Sasha is realistic about Russia’s capabilities. The Donbas front has always presented challenges, and he knows retaking lost territory is unlikely.

“It’s better to halt them at the contact line. We need to reinforce, establish drone defenses, and make any advancement impossible.”

However, he acknowledges the enormity of this task. Unlike Russia, whose demographic advantage bolsters its forces, Ukraine struggles with recruitment, and this shortage contributes to gaps in Kyiv’s defenses.

Just days before the Trump-Putin summit, Russian forces advanced 17 kilometers on the eastern front near Dobropillia, a town close to Pokrovsk.

According to DeepState Map, an independent platform monitoring front lines, this breach was contained quickly, with the Azov and Da Vinci brigades splitting the Russian salient and expelling sabotage groups known as DRG.

This operation, also seen as a Russian propaganda ploy before the summit, nonetheless highlighted vulnerabilities in Ukraine’s defenses.

Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff for the Azov Brigade, asserts that the issue extends beyond fortifications.

In straightforward Telegram posts, he suggested that while Ukraine has adequate defensive structures, it lacks the personnel necessary to maintain them.

“In defense without fortifications. In assault without reserves,” he wrote. “Officers no longer lead men into battle; they shepherd whoever remains standing.”

Describing the porous front, Krotevych elaborated on how fatigued and understaffed units must defend vast territories with limited personnel.

“In a sector over five kilometers long, there are only 10 to 12 fighters. Drivers, artillerymen, and cooks hold the defense. But even they are stretched thin. In the battalions, only about 25% of the manpower remains, most having been wounded before and now serving as drivers or orderlies just to continue contributing.”

He added that the situation is worsened by an absence of genuine reinforcements.

“When another battalion is depleted, we don’t receive reinforcements; we only see a redistribution. Personnel do not arrive; they are spread thin across numerous gaps,” he explained.

Following the Russian incursion near Dobropillia, Sasha remained reserved.

“They keep launching attacks. But we hold them back. They advance inch by inch. We still lack resources, though. But do we truly have an option?” he queries. “After the Donetsk region, they will keep pushing. It’s better to make them pay the cost here, where our fortifications are effective.”

French defense consultant Xavier Tytelman posits that although the breach was a miscalculation on Ukraine’s part, it also revealed Russia’s inability to capitalize on breakthroughs.

“The assaults are becoming less efficient,” he remarks. “The Russians still have individuals willing to sacrifice themselves for a flag, but they have not deployed vehicles. Even when they find a breach, they lack the capability to send in 20 tanks, engineering units to dig trenches, or demining equipment. They lack the resources to exploit infantry gains. This shows that Russia no longer possesses the maneuvering mass it once did.”

This, he argues, underscores Ukraine’s reluctance to forfeit the Donetsk region for an uncertain promise that Russia will deliver peace.

“Last year, Russia seized less than 4,000 square kilometers,” he notes. “At this rate, it would take them two years to finish capturing the Donetsk region if they concentrated all their forces. But they cannot, as they are also engaged in Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.”

Rushton reiterates this sentiment, pointing out that cities like Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, and Druzhkivka form a vital defensive backbone.

“Since 2014, Ukraine has reinforced them with underground facilities and industrial complexes, similar to Mariupol’s Azovstal. Together with the Donbas line, they make this area uniquely defensible,” he asserts.

On the return journey from Sloviansk, the landscape bears witness to the consequences of Russian advances. Excavators dig into the earth, forming trench after trench.

Across the plains, dragon’s teeth fortifications extend for miles, with sunflowers sprouting between the concrete.

“The Kremlin understands we will not retreat,” Sasha sighs. “What they want is to shift the blame for the failure of peace onto us. Then Putin can claim it’s Ukraine’s fault. Perhaps the Americans will reduce military aid or intelligence support. But even that may not suffice for Russia to conquer the entirety of Donbas in the next two to three years. Not at this pace.”