French OSINT military analyst Clément Molin has published an infographic map showing the fortified Ukrainian defensive positions in Donbas
According to him and a joint group of French military analysts, abandoning the non-occupied parts of Donetsk region without a fight would be madness, because the majority of Ukraine’s fortified defensive lines and five key cities are still located there.
Molin also presented a separate map illustrating what Ukraine’s defense would look like if these territories were surrendered to Russia without resistance — the western operational zones would be completely “exposed”. There are almost no fortified positions there, meaning Russian forces would be able to advance rapidly into operational depths if Ukraine were pressured into capitulation terms and the occupiers seized Donbas without combat.
However, such a scenario is ruled out: Ukraine’s political and military leadership — along with European leaders — have unequivocally rejected fulfilling Putin’s demands.
his is precisely why Putin wants Donbas handed over without fighting — to later break a “fake ceasefire agreement” within months or a year and launch a rapid advance toward Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Ukrainian and Western military intelligence emphasize that at the current pace, Russia cannot capture the administrative borders of Donbas before August 2027.