Why does Putin so fiercely desire Donetsk, which the Russian army has failed to capture despite years of warfare?
The issue is far greater than just one province in eastern Ukraine.
Putin did not start the war merely to seize more Ukrainian territory, but to bring Ukraine back into Russia's sphere of influence and prevent it from developing into an independent state integrated with the West. This has long been at the core of Russia's strategic thinking.
Donetsk holds exceptional importance in this broader context for several reasons.
First, the region has historically been one of Ukraine's economic and industrial centers. The Donbas coal mines, steel industry, machine factories, and energy production were once a key part of the Soviet Union's industrial foundation.
Even though the war has destroyed vast amounts of the region's production capacity, Donetsk's economic and historical significance should not be underestimated. From Russia's perspective, controlling it would simultaneously weaken Ukraine's economic foundation.
Even more critical, however, is the military dimension. The Ukrainian-held cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk are part of a defensive belt built over the years, which protects Ukraine's interior from Russian advances. This is not just about two cities, but an entire defense system that Ukraine has spent over a decade constructing.
If Ukraine were to cede these areas without a fight, Russia would gain strategically valuable positions that could take years of further combat and massive losses to capture militarily.
At the same time, Ukraine would lose one of its most important defensive lines, and building an equivalent one further west would not be straightforward. This could give Russia significantly better starting points for a later offensive deeper into Ukraine.
Donetsk is also part of Russia's own security geography. Controlling the region would increase the depth of Russian-held territories and protect the military supply lines it has built into eastern Ukraine. In the broader picture, Donbas connects to the occupied areas in southern Ukraine and the land bridge to Crimea.
Beyond economic and military issues, Donetsk holds immense political and symbolic significance for Putin. Since 2014, the Kremlin has built a narrative around protecting the Russian-speaking population of Donbas and claiming the region as part of the so-called Russian world.
In 2022, Russia declared the entire Donetsk region annexed to itself, even though it did not fully control it. Taking full control of the region would allow Putin to present the war's outcome as a historic achievement.
Nevertheless, Russia's demands do not stop at Donetsk. The Kremlin has also demanded blocking Ukraine's NATO membership and limiting its military freedom of action. Combined with territorial concessions, these goals could leave Ukraine in a position where its economic foundation, defense capabilities, and ability to decide its own future are far weaker than they are now.
In this sense, Putin may achieve at the negotiating table what he has not been able to on the battlefield.
That is why I believe it would be a mistake to interpret the demand for Donetsk merely as Putin's need for some kind of "honorable exit" from the war.
Putin may be willing to end the war without abandoning his original goals. Therefore, the Donetsk question is much larger than it appears on the map.
