Kremlin continues to demand AFU’s withdrawal from Donbas, while Russia’s situation on front has worsened – ISW

Moscow continues to demand the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the unoccupied part of Donbas as a condition for a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine, but Russian troops on the front in the spring of 2026 are performing worse than in 2025, when the Kremlin began to push this ultimatum, according to experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).