OREANDA-NEWS The line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Donbass is gradually collapsing, and the offensive of the Russian army is approaching its climax. This was stated by Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner in an interview with Die Welt.

According to him, the Ukrainian troops will soon completely withdraw from Kurakhovo. This, the expert added, will happen in the coming weeks, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces may also lose the "strategically important" city of Chasov Yar.

"The Russians have reached the culmination of their offensive," Reisner stressed.

Earlier, the West reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could be driven out of the Kursk region in the coming months, which would significantly weaken Kiev's position in future peace talks. "Ukrainian troops will most likely be able to hold the occupied territory only until spring, if they do not begin to retreat," said one of Bloomberg's interlocutors in the US government.