A senior Kremlin official announced that Russian police and National Guard forces will stay in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region even if a peace deal ends the nearly four-year war. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Moscow will only approve a ceasefire once Ukrainian soldiers leave the front line. "It’s entirely possible that there won’t be any troops (in the Donbas), either Russian or Ukrainian," Ushakov told Kommersant. But he added, "there will be the National Guard, our police, everything necessary to maintain order and organise life." Meanwhile, Russia rejected Ukrainian President Zelensky's suggestion for a Donbas referendum, stating, "Belongs to us, will liberate the rest." The status of this key industrial region remains a hot issue as fighting continues and peace talks face challenges.