Why Russia So Desperately Wants Donbas and Why Ukraine Refuses to Give It Up

As peace talks continue and the U.S. pushes for compromise, one proposal keeps returning: Ukraine should withdraw from the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk Oblast to end the war.

The region was initially invaded by Russia in 2014, has endured the fiercest fighting since 2022, and Russia now controls most of it. But Kyiv still holds a fortified belt of cities that form the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defense.

Supporters of a deal argue that time favors Moscow and that painful concessions now could prevent greater losses later. Ukrainian officials and soldiers see it differently. With layered fortifications, drone-saturated killzones, and hundreds of thousands of civilians still at stake, Donetsk Oblast is not just territory — it is the line preventing further Russian expansion.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains why the Battle of Donbas remains at the center of the peace process.

Here’s why. Francis Farrell explains.

Putin Attempts ‘Desperate’ Plea for More Soldiers as Zelenskyy Declares Donbas Is ‘Not for Sale’

Dec 8, 2025 | Former British Army Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon joins Times Radio’s Maddie Hale to discuss the White Houses’ 33 page 2025 National Security Strategy, Czech President Petr Pavel warns the United States any handover of Ukrainian territory will resemble the logic of the 1938 Munich Agreement and President Putin attempts a “desperate” plea for foreign soldiers with an increase of targeted social media campaigns.