Holding Donbas defense line key to protecting entire Ukraine, says officer

Andrii Illienko, an officer of the 3rd Battalion Svoboda of the 4th Rapid Response Brigade Rubizh, shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

“You don’t need to be a great military strategist to understand that if there is a defensive line the Russians have been trying to break since the start of the full-scale invasion — over three and a half years — and still hasn’t succeeded, it is clearly a serious obstacle for them. I’m not even taking the political aspect into account,” Illienko said.

According to the officer, the fourth year of the full-scale war is now ending, while the conflict as a whole has lasted twelve years, and during all this time Putin has still not been able to capture the entire Donbas. For him, of course, this is a huge humiliation. This is not only about politics or morals but also military: the network of fortifications built since 2014 plays a key role. It is clear that a similar defensive line cannot be quickly established in other parts of the front.

“Therefore, everyone understands perfectly well: we must hold this defensive line because it holds the entire country. Donbas is an extremely important sector with strategic significance,” Illienko emphasized.

• The Russians have deployed a large number of professional units to the Lyman–Kupiansk sector, actively using equipment in an attempt to advance.