19:19 29-01-2026

Analyst Predicts Donbass Battle and Ukraine Capitulation

Military analyst Yuri Knutov says the Ukraine conflict will drag into 2026, hinging on Donbass, and predicts US-EU pressure forcing Kiev into concessions.

Military analyst Yuri Knutov argues that the conflict in Ukraine will drag on into 2026 and continue until the entire territory of Donbass is brought under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.

He also believes that the United States and European countries will act together to pressure Kiev into accepting territorial concessions and signing a peace agreement. As Gazeta. Ru quotes him, Knutov maintains that the war would continue until the «liberation of Donbass» after which, in his view, it would become obvious that Ukraine is unable to secure a military victory and Kiev would be pushed toward capitulation not only by the Americans, but by Europeans as well.

Knutov argues that under such conditions the issue of deploying NATO troops in Ukraine would no longer look as acute. He says the West would see that Ukraine is no longer capable of sustaining combat operations, and European governments would then realize that even the introduction of a peacekeeping contingent could pull them directly into hostilities — something he describes as fraught with the risk of a third world war.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that there are three possible scenarios for resolving the conflict in Ukraine in 2026. One of them envisions Kiev being forced into a deal, giving up Donbass in exchange for weak guarantees from the United States. The newspaper considers the most realistic scenario to be the continuation of fighting this year, while analysts cited by the outlet also argue that at some point the resources of the Ukrainian armed forces will be exhausted, and Kiev will then be compelled to agree to concessions.