President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russian forces are preparing a new spring offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as he visited frontline positions and met with Ukrainian troops defending key cities in the area.
Speaking during his trip to the Donetsk region, Zelensky said Russia had no intention of abandoning the war and was preparing renewed military operations in the coming months.
“The Russians are not abandoning the war, and here, in the Donetsk region, they are preparing an offensive for the spring,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“It is important that our positions are strong. It is important that our brigades are adequately supplied. Our warriors are holding their ground with dignity.”
The Ukrainian leader visited several frontline cities including Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, meeting soldiers from multiple brigades defending the eastern front.
Frontline meetings with brigades
During the visit, Zelensky met with troops defending key positions, including units of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 24th and 100th Separate Mechanized Brigades, and the 36th Marine Brigade.
At a command post near Druzhkivka, he discussed the defense of Kostiantynivka and the operational situation along the front line.
“We spoke with our defenders about the defense of Kostiantynivka, the enemy’s actions, and the brigade’s supply needs,” Zelensky said.
Azov brigade operations
Zelensky also met fighters from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of Ukraine’s National Guard, which he said had helped repel a Russian breakthrough attempt near Dobropillia.
He said the brigade is currently defending positions around Rodynske, Bilytske and Shakhove while organizing the defense of Dobropillia.
Zelensky awarded several soldiers with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Order “For Courage,” and the Order of Danylo Halytskyi. He also presented the shoulder boards of brigadier general to Azov commander Denys Prokopenko.
Zelensky links battlefield strength to diplomacy
Zelensky said Ukraine’s military resilience in the east would strengthen the country’s diplomatic position internationally.
“The stronger we are here, the stronger we are in the negotiation process,” he said.
He also warned that Russia’s alliances with countries including Iran, North Korea and Belarus serve to sustain Moscow’s war effort.
“All of our partners – in the United States, in Europe, and elsewhere – should clearly understand that the friendship between [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, the Iranian regime, North Korea, Lukashenko, and others serves only one purpose: to allow them to do what they did to our Donbas wherever they want.”
Rising tensions with Hungary
Zelensky’s frontline visit came as tensions between Kyiv and Budapest escalated over the suspension of Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying the resumption of oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia and threatened to block a €90 billion EU assistance loan to Kyiv.
Orbán said Hungary could halt certain supplies and transit activities important to Ukraine if the dispute is not resolved.
The standoff intensified after Hungarian authorities detained seven Ukrainian citizens, including a former intelligence officer, who were transporting large sums of cash and gold through Hungary. Kyiv has protested the move and demanded consular access.
Despite the political dispute, Zelensky’s visit to the Donetsk region focused on reinforcing frontline defenses and preparing Ukrainian forces for what he warned could be renewed Russian offensive operations in the spring.