Russia Wants Ukraine to Surrender the Donbas. Here's Why that's Impossible
Simon Whistler · February 14, 2026 · 18 min video · Europe & NATO
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From the transcript
Imagine living under enemy occupation for 11 years straight. In that time, some of your neighbors have fled, some have been killed, some have just vanished.
Those of you who remain have been coerced into sending your children to rush vacation programs and avoid speaking Ukrainian for fear of arrest and torture, access to food education, employment, and even lifesaving medical care are now contingent on accepting Russian passport and by extension Russian citizenship.
This is the reality of some three million Ukrainian citizens now living behind enemy lines in the embattled Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, an area that has been haunted by bombs, landmines, and extrajudicial killings since Russia's annexation of Crimea.
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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About this briefing
Russia demands Ukraine surrender the Donbas—but doing so would dismantle Kyiv’s fortress belt, abandon millions to occupation, and invite another invasion. Here’s why conceding the region could guarantee an even bigger war. Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@Celestium1234 PoliticalFronts: http://www.youtube.com/@politicalfronts 00:00 Introduction 01:38 An Unacceptable Proposal 05:02 Reason for Suspicion 07:03 Ukraine’s Fortress Belt 11:16 The Coalition of the Willing 13:43 The Future of the Donbas
