Russia currently controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin has issued one of his strongest warnings yet: Moscow will forcibly seize full control of the Donbas region unless Ukrainian troops withdraw. Kyiv has dismissed this demand entirely, insisting it will not surrender territory.
In an interview with media published Thursday—just ahead of his visit to New Delhi—Putin stated that the conflict in eastern Ukraine would continue unless Ukraine retreats from territories Russia claims. “Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories,” he said in a clip aired on Russian state television.
The Donbas—made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions—has been a battleground since 2014, when fighting first broke out between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists. Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 escalated the conflict dramatically after eight years of simmering warfare.
Territorial Control: Russia Now Holds 19.2% of Ukraine
According to current assessments, Russia controls 19.2% of Ukrainian territory, including:
- Crimea, annexed in 2014
- All of Luhansk
- More than 80% of Donetsk
- Around 75% of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
- Small portions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk
Ukraine still holds roughly 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 square miles) of Donetsk, which remain heavily contested.
Kyiv Rejects Moscow’s Ultimatum
Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it will not “gift” Russia any territory and insists Moscow should not be rewarded for launching a war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintains that any peace deal must respect Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
Russia Demands the Entire Donbas in Peace Talks
In discussions with the United States over a potential framework for ending the war, Moscow has consistently pushed for full control of Donetsk and Luhansk. The Kremlin wants Washington to informally acknowledge Russian control as part of any negotiation — a condition Ukraine and the West firmly oppose.
Russia’s 2022 Annexation Claims
In 2022, Russia declared that Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia were formally part of the Russian Federation after hastily organised referendums. Ukraine and Western governments condemned the votes as illegal and staged, and the regions remain internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory — including Crimea.
Putin’s Recent Meeting With US Envoys
On Tuesday, Putin met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. He said the discussions were “very useful” and based partly on proposals he and Donald Trump had exchanged during a meeting in Alaska in August.
The Russian President added that Moscow had accepted “some US proposals” regarding Ukraine and expressed hope that further negotiations would continue. However, Russia shows no sign of softening its demand for full Donbas control.