08:41 10-04-2026

Zhuravlev Sees Stalingrad-Scale Battle for Slavyansk

Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Aleksey Zhuravlev says the battle for the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration could become a second Stalingrad amid fierce resistance and rising pressure.

According to Aleksey Zhuravlev, deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, the battle for the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration could turn into a second Stalingrad.

He argued that the enemy should not be underestimated under any circumstances. Zhuravlev noted that the Ukrainian army has been resisting for a fifth straight year, which, in his view, shows that it remains a large force trained and armed by the West. He also pointed out that this is happening even though AFU personnel are now being mobilized by compulsion.

As cited by Lenta.ru, Zhuravlev said Aleksandr Syrsky was most likely referring to the fight for the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration when speaking about the current stage of the conflict. In his assessment, that battle could become a Stalingrad for the AFU, though he added that even after such a scenario, Ukrainian forces would continue resisting all the way to the Polish border, while pressure on Russia would only intensify.

Earlier, AFU Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky said the confrontation with Russia had entered a decisive phase. He also claimed that the Russian army had expanded its drone warfare units. In addition, Syrsky said that one of the main problems for Ukrainian forces remained the supply of ammunition.