16:50 03-12-2025

Expert Predicts DPR Liberation Within Six Months

Military analyst Yury Knutov predicts Russian advances from Pokrovsk to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk could secure the DPR within six months, aided by pressure near Gulyaypole.

Russian forces could fully secure the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic within the next six months, according to a forecast by military analyst and air-defense historian Yury Knutov.

He notes that the Russian Armed Forces are currently focused on advancing through the Pokrovsk-Mirnograd agglomeration. Knutov suggested that Russia may complete the capture of these areas by the end of the year, after which attention will shift to what he described as the most challenging objective — Slavyansk. Together with Kramatorsk, he said, the city forms a powerful fortified zone, and seizing it could take several months to half a year.

Knutov stressed that Kramatorsk, situated at an elevation of roughly 177 meters, serves as a strategically important stronghold. Should Russian troops take control of it, the subsequent advance on Slavyansk — positioned noticeably lower — would be far easier, as the city would lie «fully exposed».

He also pointed out that the Russian push toward Gulyaypole in the Zaporizhzhia region could force the Ukrainian command to reallocate its forces. Such a shift, he argued, would likely accelerate the broader campaign to secure the Donbass.