International-News

Moscow transforms occupied areas into military bases

A satellite investigation reveals the conversion of airports, factories and schools for military purposes. Trump pushes for negotiations based on possible territorial exchanges, but Kiev warns: ‘Donbass already transformed into a Russian outpost’

The war in Ukraine seems to be entering a new phase. According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, Russia is converting the occupied areas into a gigantic military base, transforming airports, factories and civilian infrastructure into barracks, ammunition depots and launch pads for kamikaze drones.

While US President Donald Trump is calling for a direct meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, reviving the idea of “territorial exchanges” as a diplomatic solution, satellite images tell a different story: Moscow continues to strengthen its positions, with settlements moving ever closer to the Ukrainian lines.

Donetsk airport, from ruin to drone base

One of the most obvious examples is the former Donetsk International Airport, reduced to rubble since 2014. Satellite images from Planet Labs show how between April and July 2025 the runway was repaved, with new hangars and dozens of white shelters. According to Ukrainian expert Vadym Hlushko, founder of the open source project Kiberboroshno, these are platforms for Russian-Iranian-made Shahed drones. “In addition to the real stations, they also create fake ones to mislead reconnaissance,” he explains.

Converted civilian infrastructure

Factories, schools and resorts are now military facilities. A former tractor factory in Berdiansk has become a logistics base, a dairy in Dovzhansk a workshop for military vehicles, and a school in Oleksandrivka a shelter for tanks. Resorts on the Sea of Azov and in Crimea have also been converted into barracks.

According to Mariupol city councillor Petro Andriushenko, ‘much of Donbass is already a Russian military base. What we see of the new installations probably represents less than 1% of what actually exists.’

The alarm raised by Kiev and NATO

The Institute for the Study of War points out that the militarisation of the occupied territories is not only a threat to Kiev, but also to NATO countries. An activist from the Zla Mavka partisan group, based in Donetsk, says: ‘They are militarising everything they find. They occupy empty workshops, turn buildings into barracks and prevent access. At night, convoys enter and leave non-stop’.

The negotiation scenario

The political sticking point remains Trump’s proposal: to cede Donetsk and Luhansk entirely as part of a peace agreement. But Kiev argues that those very cities — Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk — are now crucial fortifications for the defence of the east of the country. ‘Surrendering them would mean offering Moscow Ukraine’s best defences,’ warns the Kyiv Independent.

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