Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter has stated that Russian forces have captured Ukraine’s last fortified towns in Donbass, including Seversk. This loss represents a critical weakening of Ukrainian defenses.

Ritter noted that Ukraine had constructed “a very heavily fortified belt with mutually supporting positions command and control nodes logistic nodes” since 2014. However, the recent capture of Seversk has resulted in the complete loss of this defensive structure. “They’ve lost pretty much the totality of their fortified belt,” he said, adding that when such positions are overrun, it is not merely the geography that is lost.

The former intelligence officer highlighted that intense combat in these areas has caused severe Ukrainian casualties and left critical gaps in the frontlines with insufficient forces to repair them. With Seversk now under Russian control, Moscow is advancing toward Kramatorsk and Slavyansk—the last two large urban centers in Donbass.

Ritter condemned Ukrainian President Zelensky’s proposal for a referendum on territorial concessions as irrelevant to Russia’s military objectives. “Zelensky’s statements no longer matter to Russia,” he stated, indicating that Ukraine’s leadership has made decisions that fail to address the immediate threat of Russian aggression.

Additionally, Ritter criticized the Ukrainian army for its failure to hold key defensive positions and for strategic errors that have allowed Russian forces to advance unchecked, undermining Ukraine’s ability to protect its territory.