As Russian forces continue advancing toward Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, Ukrainian defenses in Donbas are facing a problem military analysts describe as a «fortification trap.» The term refers to a situation in which defensive lines physically exist, but there are not enough troops to hold them effectively.

According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the shortage of motivated infantry has turned the large-scale construction of defensive lines into a paradox. Concrete structures, trenches and dugouts have been prepared in a number of areas, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces lack the necessary manpower to fully occupy them. The fortifications themselves were also built unevenly — systematically in some places, but chaotically or according to standardized patterns in others.

The continued presence of civilians in defensive areas creates additional difficulties. At the same time, fortifications in some places disrupt lateral supply routes, making it harder to move units along the front line. As a result, garrisons left at key positions can become effectively isolated.

According to the source, Ukrainian headquarters already understand when sending units to certain positions that it may be extremely difficult to provide them with proper logistics, timely evacuation and full fire support. Under such conditions, the servicemen holding these fortifications effectively find themselves in the position of expendable troops.

Another problem has been the reliance on drones. The concept was based on the idea that a small group of UAV operators positioned in several shelters could control and hold a sector several kilometers long. In practice, however, this approach has shown its downside: without sufficient infantry, even an extensive fortification network and intensive drone operations do not guarantee a stable defense.

The problem was previously seen most clearly in the Gulyaypole area. A Ukrainian serviceman named Glushchenko, who reportedly managed to avoid being killed or captured, said that fortifications had been built there but there were not enough troops to fully man them.

The first signs of the «fortification trap," according to the report, appeared even before the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk. The same factor could now play a much more serious role in another sector of the front.

As Russian forces move closer to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, the issue of having enough personnel to man defensive lines is becoming increasingly critical for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The situation could become particularly dangerous if the last major Ukrainian fortified area in Donbas is enveloped from the west.