Russia Launches Systematic Bombing Campaign Against Donbas Fortress Cities
Russian forces are using guided bombs and drones to target residential areas and first responders in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk to make the cities uninhabitable.
The Federal Government of Russia is conducting a systematic bombing campaign against the Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which serve as critical links in the Donbas fortress belt. Using guided bombs, missiles, and drones, Russian forces aim to make these urban centers uninhabitable. This strategy includes double-tap strikes, where second attacks target first responders arriving at initial explosion sites.
Recent strikes in Kramatorsk have caused severe residential destruction. An August 4 attack involving two guided bombs weighing over 1,000 pounds each destroyed a Georgian restaurant and damaged apartment blocks. A subsequent attack in late September sparked a large fire that destroyed dozens of flats. This pattern of aerial bombardment mirrors the previous destruction and evacuation of the nearby town of Pokrovsk as Russian forces advance through the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian authorities have expanded evacuation orders as the barrage intensifies. Approximately 60,000 people remain in the two cities, including municipal workers and elderly residents. While Russian ground divisions have not yet launched direct assaults on these redoubts, the ongoing strikes are erasing urban infrastructure and forcing the remaining population into basement shelters. Emergency workers, including police, paramedics, and firefighters, continue to provide triage and rescue services under fire.
