Clément Molin Profile picture
Aug 18 18 tweets 7 min read Read on X
This is why giving away Donbass cannot be an option for Ukraine 🇺🇦

Donald Trump 🇺🇸 will ask Zelensky to give away Donbass in exchange for a ceasefire with Russia 🇷🇺.

It would mean giving 9 cities and the main fortifications to Russia without a fight.

🧵THREAD🧵1/18⬇️Image
Giving away Donbass may seem to be the solution to calm Putin and reach a ceasefire, or even the peace between Ukraine and Russia.

However this cannot be accepted by any government of Ukraine for few simple reasons. Image
Here, we are mainly talking about the non-occupied part of Donetsk oblast, since the northern part of Luhansk oblast is mainly rural and has been occupied without big fights in spring 2022.

This is what Russia took in 30 month (after the last ukrainian counter-offensive). Image
As @M0nstas states, this is 5100 km² in 30 months, it means there is still 6500km2 to be taken.

Also in the 5100km2, we count those cities :

-Bakhmut (biggest russian gain in 3 years) 80k pop
-Avdiivka 35k pop
-Torestk 35k pop
-Selydove 24k pop
-Kourakhove 20k pop
- - than 15k Image
So in 3 years of fight, with the main battles being waged in Donetsk oblast, Russia only took one "big" city (80k inhabitants) and smaller towns, all located in the periphery of Donetsk.

They still have to fight for the big cities of ukrainian controled Donbass.
In the 6500km2 to be taken we count :

-Kramatorsk 160k pop
-Sloviansk 120k pop
-Kostiantynivka 75k pop
-Pokrovsk 65k pop
-Droujkivka 60k pop
-Myrnohrad 50k pop
-Dobropilla 30k pop
-Lyman 22k pop
-Siversk 12k pop

In the lone Sloviansk-Kostiantynivka valley, 415k pop... Image
Who would be crazy enough to give away without a fight a total worth of more than 600k pop cities, while Russia only took ~250k pop cities in 3 years of war ?

This, without forgetting the area has industrial and mining potential, even if partly destroyed by 11 years of war. Image
With that stated, there is also the price for Russia. Russia is pushing constanlty in the region. Mainly with infantry, since Ukraine built large anti-vehicle oblastacles and is massively using drones.

This has an enormous human price for Russia. Image
Image
Image
That is the reason why Putin is not willing to fight for Pokrovsk, for Kramatorsk or Sloviansk.

He would lose too much men, the operation will take far more time and his economy will continue to suffer.

He is seeking an easy victory with D. Trump. Image
Also, Ukraine built massive fortifications in Donetsk oblast. This region is easily defendable. There are massive cities, industrial complexes, mines and undergrounds.

Everytime there is a field or a treeline, ukrainian fortifications are standing. Image
In this particular region, a big part of Ukraine's "New Donbass Line" is standing.

It goes from the southern part of the non-occupied part of the oblast to Izium, Kharkiv and now even Sumy ! Image
Here is a map of what would happen with this region in the hands of Russia.

No more big fortifications, an open terrain for further offensive actions in central Ukraine, to push to Dnipro, Poltava, Zaporizhia or Kharkiv oblasts. Image
If the region is handed over to Putin without a fight, it would place russian forces 10km to Izium, 26km to Lozova and 55km to Pavlohrad.

Those are the only cities west of Donbass, before Dnipro (120km) and Poltava (175km). Image
Ukrainian soldiers are not willing to give away Donbass, their region, the region they have been fighting for during 11 years, the one where they lost comrades.

Putin will not give anything in return, no Kherson, no Zaporizhia, no Kharkiv. So they have no interest in it.
But if Ukraine is not willing to leave Donbass to Russia without fighting, what will happen ?

Peace will probably not be found, Russia will continue to push and slowly taking the region, or maybe they will be forced to stop.
Russia's economy has been largely left untouched.

If tomorrow, ukrainian drones and missiles are destroying russian economy (factories, mines, oil and gas facilities, ports...), Putin may be forced to stop. Image
With Trump and the USA disengaging, it is now the role of Europe to continue to support Ukraine, as long as it is willing to fight.

France, Germany, the UK, Poland, Italy, the Baltics and Nordics countries must also become the real rear base of Ukraine. Image
Thank you for reading this thread.

Do not hesistate to share, like and follow my account for more in depth analysis.

I've also updated my biography with a longer version in french, you can translate it easily to know more about me.

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More from @clement_molin

Aug 17
Et si... l'armée russe🇷🇺 lançait une offensive dans le nord-est de l'Ukraine🇺🇦 ?

Alors que les principaux combats se déroulent dans l'est, l'éventualité de la réouverture du front nord nous amène à analyser la région.

Fortifications, rivières, forêts...

🧵THREAD🧵1/24⬇️ Image
Depuis plusieurs semaines, le génie ukrainien renforce les positions défensives ukrainiennes autour de la ville de Soumy.

L'armée ukrainienne prépare la ville à une éventuelle opération de grande envergure. En rouge, les fortifications creusées en 2025. Image
En février 2022, plusieurs armées russes avaient pénétré les deux oblasts de Soumy et Tchernihiv dans le cadre de leur route vers Kyiv.

Il y a eu des batailles intéressante entre quelques rares unités ukrainiennes, des civils armés et des divisions entières de l'armée russe. Image
Read 26 tweets
Aug 17
Au Soudan 🇸🇩, l'immense bataille qui s'annonce

Au sud-est de la Libye, ravitaillés non-stop pendant 2 mois par les Emirats, des milliers d'hommes des FSR s'apprêtent à faire route vers le centre du Soudan.

Ils vont y rencontrer une importante force de l'armée.

🧵THREAD🧵1/17⬇️Image
D'après cet analyste, pas moins de 79 (!) avions liés aux Emirats-Arabes-Unis sont arrivés à l'aéroport de Koufrah au sud-est de la Libye depuis deux mois.

Le sud-est Libyen est devenu la base arrière principale des FSR.

Image
Le 10 juin dernier, plus de 250 pick-up des Forces de Soutiens Rapide (FSR) ont traversé la frontière libyenne pour s'emparer du triangle frontalier (Egypte-Soudan-Libye) dans l'Etat du Nord.

Cela a été rendu possible par un soutien des forces alliées à Khalifa Haftar. Image
Read 17 tweets
Aug 16
After bringing in reinforcements and being able to contain the russian 🇷🇺 breakthrough, ukrainian 🇺🇦 troops counter-attacked and managed to push back the russians.

Ukraine has taken back control of the "New Donbass Line"

🧵THREAD🧵1/15 ⬇️Image
It was not a secret anymore, as the excellent @Thorkill65 reported, ukrainian forces started counter-attacking two days ago.

Yesterday in the morning, they took back control of Zolotyi Kolodiaz and push back the russians behind the New Donbass Line. Image
A video published yesterday by Ukraine's 93rd mechanized brigade shows them engaging russian soldiers from the 132nd brigade in Vesele, ~12km from the previously known frontline.

In the process, they captured some russian soldiers and attacked them with UGV.
Read 16 tweets
Aug 14
Nouvelle construction cartographique :

-Guerre civile au Soudan 🇸🇩 : FAS 🟢/FSR🔴
-Guerre civile Somalienne 🇸🇴 : AS⚫️/Somaliland 🟠
-Guerre du Kivu 🇨🇩🇷🇼: FARDC 🟡/M23🔴/UPDF🟠
-Guerre Sahel 🇲🇱🇳🇬🇧🇫: AES🔴🟠-CEDEAO🔵 /JNIM, EIGS, ISWAP⚫️

🧵THREAD🧵1/13 ⬇️ Image
D'abord, commençons par une typologie des conflits. Il y a des dizaines de conflits en Afrique. Certains dormant, d'autres très actifs.

Prochaine étape ? Améliorer la cartographie de la Somalie et créer une cartographie libyenne et centre-africaine.
SOMALIE 🇸🇴

Carte approximative de la présence des djihadistes d'Al Shabab au sud du pays. Au nord, l'Etat séparatiste du Somaliland.

Il me manque les forces du Puntland et les djihadistes de l'Etat Islamique au nord. Image
Read 14 tweets
Aug 14
L'arrivée de renforts ukrainiens 🇺🇦 a permis de contenir la percée russe 🇷🇺, les ukrainiens lancent leurs propres contre-attaques, pour le moment localisées.

La menace reste cependant importante, on évoque aussi Lyman et Kupiansk. Carte de @Martinnkaaaa

🧵THREAD🧵1/18 ⬇️Image
L'arrivée de renforts, dont ceux du premier corps Azov a permis de contenir l'infiltration russe.

Il s'est révélé qu'elle était plus importante que prévue, ce qui contredit la minimisation faite par certains, notamment à cause de l'absence de preuves visuelles. Image
Ainsi, environ 200 russes tués et blessés, ça fait beaucoup pour une infiltration, ce qui confirme une certaine accumulation d'infanterie.

Maintenant commence le travail le plus difficile pour les forces ukrainiennes, contre-attaquer contre leurs propres fortifications.
Read 21 tweets
Aug 13
Between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, I mapped 3 200 russian 🇷🇺 airstrikes in 3 months, including 1 400 new ones from july 11th to august 11th.

Russian airforce is launching massive strikes at ukrainian 🇺🇦position, supporting a large offensive.

🧵THREAD🧵1/23 ⬇️Image
In this single satellite picture taken north of Pokrovsk, we can see no less than 50 airstrikes, with more than half hitting treelines and buildings where ukrainian 🇺🇦soldiers are hidding.

All those happened since june 11th. Image
I started mapping those airstrikes near Pokrovsk in late june when I noticed large strikes against ukrainian fortifications.

Since then, I put dots for every airstrike, with different color each month. Here is may to june 11th 2025, 1 100 airstrikes. Image
Read 24 tweets

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