BERLIN, August 12. /TASS/. The future of the remaining part of the Donetsk People’s Republic under Ukrainian control could be decided in the next few hours of fighting, Julian Ropcke, a columnist for the German newspaper Bild, said.
"The coming hours will be crucial for the fate of the 29% of the territory of the Donetsk region still controlled by Ukraine," Ropcke wrote on X.
He said that after the capture of Dobropolye, Russian troops secured a strategic highway, adding that in his view, the Ukrainian army’s chances to turn the tide are very low.
In his opinion, further advance of the Russian troops will mean that the last two major cities of the region - Slavyansk and Kramatorsk - will be cut off from the Greater Dnieper, leaving only Kharkov for supply lines to go through. "Thus, these are crucial hours, which will also have a significant impact on the morale and motivation of the remaining civilian population and Ukrainian troops in the region," the journalist stated.
He noted that if things continue this way, the next few days will see more and more territory ceded by Ukraine. This, according to Ropcke, will lead to the withdrawal of the proposal to resolve the conflict on condition of withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the remaining part of Donbass under their control.
Earlier, sources in Russian law enforcement agencies told TASS that Russian troops had cut off the highway connecting Krasnoarmeisk (Pokrovsk in Ukrainian) and Dobropolye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Earlier, Western media reported that the United States demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine to resolve the conflict with Russia. The Wall Street Journal newspaper, citing sources, reported that the US settlement proposal provides for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the part of the Donetsk People’s Republic they control as the first stage of achieving peace.