Inside Donetsk as residents flee attacks on Ukrainian region Russia wants to control | BBC News

The Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine has long been in Moscow's sights.

Russia already controls 70% of the city of Donetsk and nearly all of neighbouring Luhansk - and is making slow but steady advances.

This part of Donetsk is critical to Ukraine's defensive. If lost or given to Russia, neighbouring Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions – and beyond – would be at greater risk.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected suggestions that it could be lost by the end of this year, predicting it would take four more years for Russia to fully occupy what remains.

But it's unlikely Ukraine will recapture significant territory there without new weaponry or additional support from the West.

BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville follows volunteers carrying out evacuations in eastern Ukraine as drone attacks continue.

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Post from BBC News on August 25, 2025

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