Common Questions

Who controls Donetsk city?: Donetsk city has been under Russian-backed separatist and then direct Russian control since June 2014. It functions as Russia's administrative hub for occupied Donetsk Oblast.
How big is Donetsk Ukraine?: Donetsk had a pre-war population of over 900,000, making it the largest city in eastern Ukraine. The current population under Russian occupation is estimated to be significantly smaller.
What is the Fortress Belt near Donetsk?: The Fortress Belt is a Ukrainian defensive line in western Donetsk Oblast. ISW assessed on 31 March 2026 that Russia is unlikely to seize it in 2026, despite sustained offensive pressure.Source: ISW
How many battles happen in Donetsk per day?: The Ukrainian General Staff recorded 286 combat engagements across the front on 18 March 2026, the war's highest single-day total, with the Donetsk axis among the most active sectors.Source: Ukrainian General Staff
Did Ukraine disrupt the Russian Donetsk offensive in 2026?: Zelenskyy stated on 16 March 2026 that Ukrainian forces had disrupted a Russian strategic offensive operation in the south Donetsk direction, though fighting continues at high intensity.Source: Zelenskyy statement
What happened at the drone school in Snizhne, Donetsk Oblast?: Ukraine struck the Sever-Akhmat regiment's drone training facility in Snizhne on 20-21 May 2026, killing 65 cadets and one instructor. The operation, internally called Operation SNOW for Akhmat, was one of the highest-casualty precision strikes of the war against a military training target.Source: event
Is Russia making progress in Donetsk Oblast in 2026?: Progress has been minimal relative to Russia's stated ambitions. ISW verifies only around 340 sq km of Russia's claimed 1,700 km² of 2026 gains across all sectors. Russia suffered a net territorial loss of 33 sq km in March 2026, and the Fortress Belt has held. Russian casualty rates have risen even as engagement counts fell.Source: event
Where is Snizhne in Ukraine and who controls it?: Snizhne is a city in eastern Donetsk Oblast, currently under Russian control. It is situated south of Donetsk city. The Sever-Akhmat regiment operated a drone training facility there until Ukraine's May 2026 strike destroyed it.Source: event

Background

Donetsk is the largest city in eastern Ukraine, with a pre-war population of over 900,000, and has been the administrative centre of Russian-controlled Donetsk Oblast since 2014. The city fell under Russian-backed separatist control in June 2014 and has been under direct Russian administration since September 2022, when Russia formally annexed Donetsk Oblast. The annexation is recognised only by Russia. Ukrainian forces hold substantial territory in the wider oblast, including Pokrovsk, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Chasiv Yar.

On 18 March 2026, the Ukrainian General Staff recorded 286 combat engagements across the entire front, the highest single-day total of the war, with the Donetsk axis remaining one of the most active. ISW data showed Russia had a net loss of 33 sq km in March 2026 across all sectors, with progress near Pokrovsk and the Donetsk Oblast Fortress Belt proving costly.

By early May 2026, a structural battlefield anomaly had emerged: Russia's daily kill rate rose 6.5% to roughly 1,115 even as daily engagement counts contracted from the March peak. ISW cross-checked Gerasimov's claimed 1,700 km² of 2026 territorial gain against satellite imagery and found 340 km², a 5:1 exaggeration ratio.

On 20-21 May 2026, Ukraine struck the Sever-Akhmat regiment's drone training facility in Snizhne, Donetsk Oblast, killing 65 cadets and one instructor in a precision strike known internally as Operation SNOW for Akhmat. In the week of 19-26 May, Russia net-lost 38 square miles of Ukrainian territory, its largest single-week loss of 2026. Donetsk city functions as Russia's administrative and logistics hub for the occupied oblast; its pre-war industrial base, including steel and coking coal, has been substantially disrupted by the ongoing conflict.

How the World Sees Them

Russia

Moscow treats Donetsk city as the capital of one of its federal subjects, operating civilian administration and holding elections in occupied territory that Ukraine and most states consider illegitimate.

Ukraine

Kyiv considers Donetsk city occupied Ukrainian territory; Ukrainian forces continue to operate in Donetsk Oblast's western sectors, including around Pokrovsk, Sloviansk, and Chasiv Yar.

Western analysts

ISW assesses that Russia's Donetsk axis offensive has failed to achieve the strategic breakthrough Moscow sought; the Fortress Belt is holding despite high Russian casualty rates.