According to a report by The Kyiv Independent on Friday, April 17, 2026, Russia has set a fresh timeline to seize Ukraine’s Donbas region, targeting September for full control, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.
Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine’s defence intelligence agency (HUR), disclosed the development in an interview with the Financial Times on April 17, citing internal assessments. The new deadline represents yet another delay in Moscow’s long-running objective to dominate the eastern Ukrainian region.
The Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, has been partially under Russian control since 2014. Despite sustained military campaigns, Russian forces have struggled to achieve a decisive breakthrough.
According to Skibitskyi, Russia is now combining renewed military planning with increased diplomatic pressure. He said Moscow is preparing a fresh ground offensive in southeastern Ukraine while simultaneously pushing Kyiv to withdraw its troops from the region without resistance as part of ceasefire negotiations.
Ukraine has firmly rejected such demands.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Kyiv will not cede territory it currently controls. He emphasised that abandoning Donbas would leave both civilians and Ukraine’s broader national security at risk.
“I will never abandon Donbas and the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who live there,” Zelensky said in March, warning that any withdrawal would expose central Ukraine to further Russian advances.
Ukrainian forces currently maintain control over approximately one-quarter of Donetsk Oblast, including heavily fortified defensive lines and several key urban centres. They also retain limited positions in Luhansk Oblast.
Russia had earlier aimed to capture the entire Donbas region by the end of 2025 and reportedly communicated that objective to the United States, including President Donald Trump. However, continued resistance from Ukrainian troops has prevented Moscow from meeting those targets.
At the diplomatic level, the Kremlin has continued to frame Ukraine’s withdrawal as a prerequisite for peace. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov recently stated that even if Ukraine agrees to pull back, negotiations would remain “complex, meticulous, and prolonged.”
Kyiv, however, is advocating a different approach. Ukrainian officials have proposed an immediate ceasefire based on current front lines as a first step toward a broader peace agreement.
Despite ongoing international discussions, questions remain about the stance of external actors. Reports indicate that some officials within the U.S. administration have not openly opposed Russia’s demand for control over Donbas, suggesting that final territorial decisions may ultimately be left to negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow…..See More
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