In Eastern Ukraine Russia is now focusing on its so-called “special military operation” after withdrawing its forces from Kyiv and the surrounding areas. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the battle for Donbas in eastern Ukraine has begun, and that a very large number of Russian forces are involved, the BBC reports.
The importance of Donbass
When President Putin talks about Donbass, refers to the old coal and steel production area of ​​Ukraine. What it means is the whole of the two large eastern regions, Luhansk and Donetsk, which extend beyond Mariupol to the southern to northern Ukrainian borders.
These areas are widely Russian-speaking and Mariupol was one of the most pro-Russian cities in Ukraine. However, Russian forces besieged Mariupol after the invasion, leveling much of the strategically important coastal city.
Because Putin wants to bring Donbas under his control
The Russian leader has repeatedly made the baseless accusation that Ukraine committed “genocide” in the east.
When the war broke out, almost two-thirds of the eastern territories were in Ukrainian hands. The rest were ruled by Russians, who created satellite states of Moscow during the 2014 war.
A little bit before 24 February, President Putin recognized Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states from Ukraine.
If Russia took control of Donbass through Luhansk and Donetsk, this would give Vladimir Putin some “smear” of profit in the Russian war that began. Then the next step would be the formal annexation of Donbass, just as Putin did with Crimea after the 2014 referendum, which is not recognized by the West. And if that happened before May 9, he could even celebrate “Victory Day”, the national holiday for the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
The Moscow-controlled Luhansk leader has already spoken of a referendum in the “near future”, although the idea of ​​even a referendum on war zones seems ridiculous, the BBC comments.
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