Kramatorsk: A City on the Brink as Russia Tightens its Grip in Donbas
By Lucas Fernandez, World-Today-News.com
Kramatorsk, Ukraine – The once-bustling city of Kramatorsk exists now in a state of eerie quiet, punctuated only by the chilling wail of air raid sirens and the distant thud of explosions. once home to 150,000 people, the streets are now increasingly populated by soldiers rather than civilians, as Russian forces relentlessly push towards what President Vladimir Putin considers a key prize in the ongoing conflict.
More than three and a half years after launching his full-scale invasion of ukraine in February 2022, Putin’s ambition to seize Kramatorsk remains unfulfilled. Despite recent high-profile talks between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska – touted by some as a potential pathway to peace – fighting around the city has shown no signs of abating.
[Image of Russian soldiers closing in on Kramatorsk. Credit: ABC News / Daniel Pannett]
Located less than 30 kilometers from the front lines, Kramatorsk is strategically vital. The city and surrounding region serve as crucial logistics hubs, boasting essential rail and road links to the rest of Ukraine. Russia already controls an estimated 88% of the Donbas region, having initially annexed parts of it in 2014 through paramilitary groups. Moscow has made no secret of its intent to expand its territorial control, echoing Putin’s initial justification for the invasion: “We have to take bold and immediate action. The people’s republics of Donbass have asked Russia for help.”
The human cost of this protracted struggle is immense. “Only stupid people aren’t scared. I’m scared,” admits Katherin, a lifelong resident of Kramatorsk who now runs a patisserie adapted to the realities of war. She’s shifted from crafting Parisian-style pastries to providing simple coffee and cake to sustain the weary soldiers defending the city. Despite the ever-present danger,Katherin is hesitant to leave.
[Image of Katherin in her patisserie. Credit: ABC News / Daniel Pannett]
“I have an eight-year-old son and my mother is here also,” she explains. “if the Ukrainian government asks us to leave, then of course we will, but until then I want to work and I want to stay.”
Ukraine has poured meaningful resources into defending Kramatorsk and other key locations within the Donbas region. However, despite fierce resistance and staggering casualties – estimated in the hundreds of thousands on both sides – Russian forces have made incremental, yet consistent, territorial gains.
Recent reports from the Institute for the Study of War,a Washington D.C.-based think tank,indicate that Russian troops have continued to advance towards Kramatorsk even in the weeks following the Trump-Putin summit,suggesting that diplomatic efforts have,at least on the ground,done little to quell the fighting.
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