Public radio’s longest-running daily global news program.AboutContactDonateMeet the TeamPrivacyTerms of use©2026 The World from PRXPRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402.Russia stalls in Donbas, as battlefield deadlock deepensLast year, Russia made slow but steady gains on the front line in eastern Ukraine. But now, effective deployment of Ukrainian drones, along with a host of other factors, have slowed the progress of Russian troops. Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst with the Finnish think tank Black Bird Group discusses the implications with The World’s Host Marco Werman. UkraineMay 29, 2026Updated: May 29, 20267:04Firefighters put out the fire in a residential neighborhood following a Russian missile and drone attack, in Brovary, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, March 14, 2026.Residents of Kyiv withstood one of the biggest Russian missile and drone attacks yet recently, but all eyes have been on the Donbas. That’s a region in eastern Ukraine, and it’s not just a battlefield — it is the political and symbolic prize Russia wants to claim in its war against Ukraine. Around May 2025, Russia was making territorial gains in the Donbas. Now, though, some say the region is up for grabs. To tackle this, The World’s Host Marco Werman spoke with Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst with the Finnish organization Black Bird Group. He’s been closely tracking movement on the battlefield.Kastehelmi said that “during the last few months, Russian momentum has slowed down very significantly. This spring, the Russians have not achieved practically anything on the battlefield. It might sound like a big statement, but it is true. They are only making very small and gradual gains, only small tactical victories, but can’t accumulate them into any larger success.”Rescuers clear the rubble after a Russian missile hit an apartment building during massive air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 14, 2026.Efrem Lukatsky/APThese strikes don’t give them significant advantage on the front lines, of course. However, this is a way where Ukraine can hit Russia’s economy. And the Ukrainians, of course, know that they are fighting a stronger enemy, which has more resources, more manpower. So, they are trying to adapt to that. One thing that they are very heavily focusing on at the moment is unmanned aerial vehicles, also unmanned ground vehicles, so ground drones, so to say. And the usage of these has also spiked during 2023.A commercial building burns after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 24, 2026.Evgeniy Maloletka/APFirefighters work on the scene of a damaged building of the Museum of Chernobyl after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 24, 2026.Efrem Lukatsky/APParts of this interview have been lightly edited for length and clarity.