Russian forces are unlikely to launch a direct assault on Kramatorsk and will instead opt for a strategy of encirclement and isolation, according to military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk, a retired colonel.

He argues that Kramatorsk’s status as a major industrial hub makes a frontal attack impractical. The city is heavily fortified and has long been prepared for defense, significantly reducing the likelihood of an outright storming operation.

Matviychuk noted that Kramatorsk served as the second defensive line of the southern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass. He described it as a powerful industrial center, well entrenched and adapted for prolonged defense. At the same time, he pointed out that Russian troops have already reached the city’s outskirts, with drones, artillery, and missile forces striking military targets inside Kramatorsk.

In his assessment, Moscow’s objective is to create conditions that would force Ukrainian units to abandon the city rather than to seize it through costly urban combat. Russian forces, he said, are maneuvering around Kramatorsk from both flanks, gradually closing the ring.

According to Matviychuk, this points to a methodical advance aimed at isolating the area and pushing Ukrainian troops out, rather than a rapid assault.

Earlier reports indicated that Russian units have been advancing toward Kramatorsk and Slavyansk from several directions, engaging in sustained fighting as they move closer to both cities.