Positional Deadlock: Why did Russia fail to achieve a breakthrough in Donbas, and how will this affect the scenarios for the continuation of the conflict in 2026?
In 2025, Russia failed to achieve a turning point in the fighting in Donbas. As in the previous year, its territorial gains after 12 months of offensive operations did not exceed 4 to 5 thousand sq km, which is less than 1% of Ukraine’s territory. Plans for large scale encirclements and the exploitation of tactical breakthroughs were not realised.