Administratively, Donetsk has been the centre of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the larger economic and cultural Donets Basin (Donbas) region.

Dec 27, 2025 · Donetsk, city, southeastern Ukraine, on the headwaters of the Kalmius River. It is the capital of Donetsk oblast (province) and the most prominent city in the Donets Basin (Donbas) …

For more than a decade, Russian aggression has made Ukraine’s Donetsk region synonymous with war. It’s both a symbol of Kyiv’s resistance and a gauge of the conflict’s progress.

6 days ago · Russia has made the full capture of Ukraine’s Donetsk region its top 2026 battlefield priority, focusing on Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad and the Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka area.

4 days ago · Russia turning occupied Donbas into ‘huge military base to frighten Europe’ As the Ukraine war drags, Moscow is transforming the economy of the occupied Donbas region, officials, residents …

Aug 24, 2025 · The Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine has long been in Moscow's sights. Vladimir Putin reportedly says he'll freeze the war in return for full control of it.

Dec 3, 2025 · Almost all countries recognise Donetsk as part of Ukraine but it is one of four regions in eastern Ukraine that Moscow said it was annexing in 2022 following referendums dismissed by Kyiv …

Aug 19, 2025 · (AP Photo/File) The Kremlin is demanding that Ukraine give up the entire Donetsk oblast as part of any ceasefire agreement.

Aug 19, 2025 · Russia analyst Kateryna Stepanenko explains why Donetsk is so important to Ukraine and why Russia wants control of it.

Located on the upper reaches of the Kalmiius River in the steppe region, this industrial settlement (city since 1920) grew to become the largest center of coal mining and metallurgy and the fifth-largest city …