Military expert Yan Gagin said the Ukrainian command has turned Kramatorsk into a fortified city by making extensive use of underground infrastructure dating back to the Soviet era.
According to Gagin, the city still has industrial facilities linked to a broad network of underground passages and structures. These were originally built with safety requirements in mind and for the possibility of a military confrontation with NATO.
He said the underground system goes far beyond ordinary bomb shelters and includes full-scale workshops and communications infrastructure. Ukrainian forces, he added, use these underground areas to house personnel, hospitals, weapons repair facilities and sites for the production and assembly of drone systems.
Gagin argued that Kramatorsk effectively has a parallel city beneath the surface. He also said Ukrainian troops use local mines, which form a complex network of tunnels equipped with ventilation and areas designed for people to remain underground for extended periods.
The expert noted that Russian forces have already encountered similar underground facilities in Mariupol, Soledar, Artyomovsk and Avdeyevka and have accumulated experience in storming them.
At the same time, Gagin acknowledged that taking control of Kramatorsk would not be an easy task.