"Donetsk hills are impregnable with proper fortifications": Donetsk official on defense lines

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The evacuation of civilians from the community was organized by local authorities and civil administrations back in 2022. People left. Nearly half of Druzhkivka's residents left in 2022 but later returned because they couldn't find housing or a way to rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, the authorities' efforts were not sufficient to help people adapt in other regions," Dovbnia explained.

The official stated that if the defense line in the Donetsk region had been better fortified, many people would not have evacuated and would have remained on Ukrainian soil.

"In the Donetsk region, we are losing one settlement after another. Lives are being destroyed here. Our cities are being erased, and the economy is collapsing. Frankly, I don't understand what is happening in our country. All these roses in Pokrovsk and paving in Kramatorsk are irrelevant now, and no one will be held accountable for it. I visited the Kharkiv region, where the city of Izium is preparing for defense — fortifications, anti-tank ditches, fortified defense lines, and firing points are being built. Everything is being taken seriously. Three years into the full-scale invasion, wasn’t it clear that the Donetsk hills are naturally impregnable? For effective defense in Donetsk, it would have been enough to equip them with fortifications. No one would have had to leave. People would have stayed on our land," he added.

• Since the start of January 22, 67 clashes have taken place along the Russian-Ukrainian frontline.