Russia demands the surrender of the entire territory of the Donetsk region. If this condition is met, Ukraine will lose its main defensive line in this part of the country, which will open an easy path for the Russians to attack Kharkiv and Dnipro.

Axar.az reports that this information comes from a report by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts note that since 2014, Ukraine has been continuously maintaining a defensive line in northern Donbas, where some cities and towns have turned into real fortresses:

"The fortress belt consists of four large cities, several towns, and villages extending from north to south along the H-20 Konstantinovka-Slavyansk highway. The length of the line is 50 kilometers."