Sources confirm that Russian forces have massed over 100,000 troops along the eastern border of Ukraine, with UK intelligence warning that an assault on the Donbas city of Kramatorsk is imminent. Documents obtained from Western intelligence agencies reveal satellite imagery showing heavy armour, artillery units, and logistical convoys concentrated within 30 kilometres of the city. The build-up mirrors the pattern seen before the fall of Mariupol in 2022, when a relentless artillery barrage preceded a ground offensive that levelled the city.
Kramatorsk, a key administrative and transport hub in the Donetsk region, has been a persistent target for Russian forces. The city's population has dwindled to roughly 70,000, down from a pre-war 220,000, as residents flee the anticipated onslaught. Ukraine's military command has acknowledged the threat but insists defensive positions are reinforced.
However, internal briefings suggest a significant disparity in firepower, with Russian forces enjoying a seven-to-one advantage in artillery shells. UK intelligence chief Sir Jeremy Fleming was blunt in a closed session: 'We assess with high confidence that Russia is preparing for a major offensive. The window for diplomacy is closing.
' The Kremlin has denied planning an assault, but sources on the ground report Russian reconnaissance units probing Ukrainian defences near the contact line. For residents of Kramatorsk, the warning comes as a grim echo of past betrayals. The city was struck by a cluster missile attack in June 2022 that killed 11 people, including a child.
Now, the same fear grips the remaining population. 'We hear the shelling getting closer every night,' a local nurse told me over a crackling phone line. 'The supermarkets are empty.
People are digging shelters in their gardens.' The international community has issued condemnatory statements, but no new sanctions have been announced. Meanwhile, the money trail leads to a tangled web of oligarchs and shell companies that continue to finance Russia's war machine.
My investigation into a Cypriot firm linked to the Kremlin's defence procurement reveals fresh payments exceeding £200 million in the past six months. The war is not just fought with tanks and shells. It is fuelled by laundered cash moving through London's financial districts.
Kramatorsk is caught in the crossfire, its fate tied to the next chapter of a conflict that has already killed tens of thousands. In the coming days, we will witness either a diplomatic last stand or the beginning of another brutal siege.