Law, Power, and Justice

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/world/europe/ukraine-russia-battlefield.html

as President Trump presses Ukraine and Russia to make a deal to end their war, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is pushing to capture as much land as possible along a frontline that stretches about 750 miles, almost the distance from Chicago to New York.

As ever growing swarms of surveillance drones make any movement on the battlefield dangerous, the Russians are sending in small groups of soldiers on foot who are harder to detect. They effectively sneak past the Ukrainian troops, regroup and then attack, repeating this cycle as they inch forward.

These groups gained some territory earlier this month, especially in the crucial eastern Donetsk region near the embattled city of Pokrovsk. Larger formations of Russian troops also outflanked some Ukrainian defenses with drones and sheer numbers, raising fears that the frontline could start to crumble as the most concerted effort at peace talks in three years gets underway.

Given that political negotiations and deals are starting to emerge, Putin is trying to use the short amount of time left to grab as much territory as he can,” said Col. Dmytro Palisa, commander of Ukraine’s 33rd Mechanized Brigade

The Azov brigade was recently moved to the Pokrovsk area, along with brigades like the 33rd and the 59th. Many soldiers have been fighting since 2022; some, since 2014. Despite a draft of all men from the age of 25 to 60, despite flashy billboard campaigns featuring soldiers riding giant cats, the Ukrainian Army is having difficulty recruiting new soldiers. Last month, Ukraine even adopted a law allowing citizens over 60 to voluntarily enlist.

To understand what is happening in the war, look no farther than Donetsk, a focal point both on the battlefield and in peace negotiations.

Mr. Putin seemingly convinced the American president that Ukraine needed to give up the entire Donbas to Russia to achieve peace.

It is this area where drones and missiles are now pounding villages on a regular basis, destroying post offices and schools. It is where Russia has been unable to turn small gains on the battlefield into actual breakthroughs, despite suffering huge losses. And it is where Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump want Ukrainian soldiers to walk away, after an 11-year fight, in exchange for a peace deal.