Russian forces continue to advance toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, while military expert and Major General Sergey Lipovoy believes Ukrainian troops have virtually no chance of holding the two cities.

Lipovoy described Slavyansk and Kramatorsk as the last major stronghold of the Kiev authorities in Donbass. According to him, the Ukrainian command is reinforcing the agglomeration with available reserves, personnel and military equipment.

He linked the effort to the political and reputational importance of Donbass for Kiev. Lipovoy argued that the Ukrainian military-political leadership is prepared to commit troops to costly assaults in an attempt to slow the Russian advance.

The expert said Russian units are continuing to reduce the distance to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, with some positions already within visual range.

In his assessment, the Ukrainian side has almost no chance of retaining control of either city.

Lipovoy said aviation, artillery and unmanned systems are playing a major role in Russian operations on this part of the front. They are being used against Ukrainian personnel, military equipment and weapons depots.

Russian reconnaissance units are also identifying concentrations of Ukrainian troops, equipment and storage facilities in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, after which strikes are carried out against the detected targets, according to the expert.

Lipovoy further claimed that Ukrainian troops cannot freely withdraw because blocking detachments are positioned behind them with orders to fire on anyone attempting to abandon their positions.

He also alleged that Ukrainian forces are suffering catastrophic losses in the area and that Kiev is trying to conceal the true scale of casualties. According to Lipovoy, the authorities avoid disclosing actual death figures in order to limit compensation payments to the families of those killed.

Assessing the broader situation, Lipovoy predicted that Russian forces could complete the operation to establish full control over Donbass by the end of 2026.