Russian forces may find it easier to push toward Slavyansk after taking control of Rai-Aleksandrovka, military expert Alexander Artamonov told NEWS.ru. He said the settlement matters because of its location: from the local heights, heavy artillery can cover the wider Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.

According to Artamonov, Rai-Aleksandrovka lies roughly seven to eight kilometers from the outskirts of Slavyansk, putting the city within close firing distance. He argued that this gives Russian troops the ability to keep not only the industrial zone, but a much broader area under fire control.

The expert said Ukrainian forces will now have to adjust their defenses, including positions in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. He also claimed that the evacuation of residents and enterprises has already begun. Among the facilities being moved westward, he said, were operating defense-industry sites.

Artamonov described the loss of Rai-Aleksandrovka as a serious blow for Kyiv. In his view, relocating enterprises does not solve the problem by itself: production must be restarted elsewhere, workers need housing, processes have to be rebuilt, and new facilities must be created. He also noted that Rai-Aleksandrovka is a small town without a major industrial base.

The analyst said the fall of what he called the last fortress in Donbass would suggest that the full liberation of the region is approaching. He added that there are no comparable fortified areas in Donbass before the Dnieper, because Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are deeply embedded in the Ukrainian defense line.

Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that Russian troops had liberated Rai-Aleksandrovka in the DPR. The ministry said units of the «Yuzhnaya» group of forces took part in the operation.