War in Donbas
2014–2022 war between Ukraine and Russia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The war in Donbas,[lower-alpha 3] or Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The war began 12 April 2014, when a fifty-man commando unit headed by Russian citizen Igor Girkin seized Sloviansk in Donetsk oblast.[20][21][22][23] The Ukrainian military launched an operation against them.[24][25] It continued until it was subsumed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.[26][full citation needed]
This article's lead section may be too long. (June 2023) |
War in Donbas | |||||||||
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Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War | |||||||||
Top row: Pro-Russian paramilitaries in Donbas. Middle: Aftermath of the Battle of Donetsk Airport; damaged buildings in Spartak. Bottom: Ukrainian T-64BV tank during the Battle of Debaltseve; Donbas Battalion soldiers on a BTR-60 in the Donbas, August 2014. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Ukraine | |||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Units involved | |||||||||
Ukraine (details) |
Russia (details) Pro-Russian separatists (details) | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
64,000 troops[9] | |||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
* Includes 400–500 Russian servicemen (per the United States Department of State, March 2015)[19] |
In March 2014, following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, anti-revolution and pro-Russian protests began in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, collectively 'the Donbas'. These began as Russia invaded and annexed Crimea. Armed Russian-backed separatists seized Ukrainian government buildings and declared the Donetsk and Luhansk republics (DPR and LPR) as independent states, leading to conflict with Ukrainian government forces.[27] Russia covertly supported the separatists with troops and weaponry. It only admitted sending "military specialists",[28][29] but later acknowledged the separatists as Russian combat veterans.[30] In April 2014, Ukraine launched a counter-offensive, called the "Anti-Terrorist Operation"[31] (ATO), later renamed the "Joint Forces Operation" (JFO).[32][33] By late August 2014, Ukraine had re-taken most separatist-held territory and nearly regained control of the Russia–Ukraine border.[34] In response, Russia covertly sent troops, tanks and artillery into the Donbas.[35][36] Ukrainian officials called this a Russian "stealth invasion".[36][37] The Russian incursion helped pro-Russian forces regain much of the territory they had lost.[32][38] Alexander Borodai, former 'Prime Minister' of the DPR, said 50,000 "Russian volunteers" had fought in the first five months.[39]
Ukraine, Russia, the DPR and LPR signed a ceasefire agreement, the Minsk Protocol, in September 2014.[40] Ceasefire breaches became rife, and heavy fighting resumed in January 2015, during which the separatists captured Donetsk Airport. A new ceasefire, Minsk II, was agreed on 12 February 2015. Immediately after, separatists renewed their offensive on Debaltseve and forced Ukraine's military to withdraw.[41] After the fall of Debaltseve, skirmishes continued but the front line did not change. Both sides fortified their position by building networks of trenches, bunkers and tunnels, resulting in static trench warfare.[42][43] Stalemate led to the war being called a "frozen conflict",[44] but Donbas remained a war zone, with dozens killed monthly.[45] In 2017, on average a Ukrainian soldier died in combat every three days,[46] with an estimated 40,000 separatist and 6,000 Russian troops in the region.[47][48] By the end of 2017, OSCE observers had counted around 30,000 people in military gear crossing from Russia at the two border checkpoints it was allowed to monitor,[49] and documented military convoys crossing from Russia covertly.[50] All sides agreed to a roadmap for ending the war in October 2019,[51] but it remained unresolved.[52][53] During 2021, Ukrainian fatalities rose sharply and Russian forces massed around Ukraine's borders.[54] Russia officially recognized the DPR and LPR as independent states on 21 February 2022 and deployed troops to those territories. On 24 February, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, subsuming the war in Donbas into it.
There were 29 failed ceasefires.[53][55][56] About 14,000 people were killed in the war: 6,500 Russian and Russian proxy forces, 4,400 Ukrainian forces, and 3,400 civilians on both sides of the frontline.[17] The vast majority of civilian casualties were in the first year.[17]
Despite being recognized as an independent country since 1991, as a former USSR constituent republic, Ukraine was perceived by the leadership of Russia as part of its sphere of influence. In a 2002 paper Taras Kuzio stated "While accepting Ukrainian independence, Putin has sought to draw Ukraine into a closer relationship. This approach has been acceptable to eastern Ukrainian oligarchs, who do not harbour anti-Russian feelings".[57]
In 2011 Taras Kuzio stated
The traditional Soviet policy of dividing eastern against western Ukrainians, then "bourgeois nationalists" and now "crazy Galicians," remains in place. This tactic was deliberately employed by the Yanukovych administration is promoting a strategy of regional divide-and-rule through polarization, using May 9-style provocations, to maintain its eastern Ukrainian electorate permanently mobilized.[58]
Analysts have stated that as of February 2014, Russia was able to:[59]
- Control gas shipments to Ukraine (in the past few years, it had twice turned off the flow of gas to the country to force the hands of Ukrainian leaders);
- Manipulate the price of gas to Ukraine's fiscal disadvantage;
- Arbitrarily impose trade restrictions on Ukrainian exports;
- Flood Ukraine with television propaganda highlighting alleged Western interference in Ukraine's internal affairs;
- Infiltrate Ukrainian security forces to stage provocations that would discredit the opposition;
- Stir up secessionist sentiment in Russian-speaking areas such as Crimea and Donetsk.
According to the Institute of Modern Russia, the Kremlin also maintained a tight hold on Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovych.[60][better source needed]
In November 2013, the 'Euromaidan' protests began in response to Yanukovych's decision to abandon a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), instead choosing closer ties to Russia. Earlier that year, Ukraine's parliament had overwhelmingly approved finalizing the agreement with the EU.[61] Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it.[62] The scope of the protests widened, with calls for Yanukovych's resignation.[63] Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption and abuse of power, the influence of oligarchs, police brutality, and human rights violations.[64] The protests culminated in February 2014 with clashes in Kyiv between protesters and Berkut special riot police, in which 108 protesters were killed.[65] Yanukovych and the opposition signed an agreement on 21 February, but he secretly fled the city that evening.[66] The following day, parliament voted to remove him from office. This series of events became known as the Revolution of Dignity.
Immediately following the revolution, unmarked Russian troops occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. After an illegal referendum, Crimea was annexed by Russia.
Protests
Following the revolution, counter-revolutionary and pro-Russian protests began in parts of the Donbas. A national survey held in March–April 2014 found that 58% of respondents in the Donbas wanted autonomy within Ukraine, while 31% wanted the region to separate from Ukraine.[67]
Pro-Russian protesters occupied the Donetsk Regional State Administration Building from 1 to 6 March 2014, before being removed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).[68] Pavel Gubarev, a member of the neo-Nazi group Russian National Unity, was proclaimed "people's governor" of Donetsk Oblast.[69]
On 6 April, 1,000–2,000 people gathered at a rally in Donetsk to demand a referendum on greater autonomy or joining Russia, similar to the one held in Crimea in March.[70] Hundreds of masked men also seized weapons from the SBU building in the city.[71] A large crowd then stormed and occupied the Donetsk RSA building, raising the Russian flag.[70] They demanded the regional council meet by noon the next day and vote for a referendum on joining Russia.[71] Otherwise, they vowed to take control of the regional government with a "people's mandate", and dismiss all elected regional councillors and members of parliament.[72] As these demands were not met, the following day the activists held a meeting in the building and proclaimed the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as an independent state.[71][73]
Unrest also began in Luhansk on 6 April, when hundreds of protesters attacked and laid siege to the SBU headquarters for six hours, demanding the release of anti-government militants held there.[71] They eventually stormed the building, releasing prisoners and seizing weapons.[71]
In response to the widening unrest, Acting Ukrainian President, Oleksandr Turchynov announced on 7 April that Ukraine would launch an "anti-terrorist operation".[74] On 8 April, he signed a decree to take the Donetsk regional government buildings "under state protection".[75] The Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov, said on 9 April that the unrest would be resolved within 48 hours, either through negotiations or the use of force.[76] On 10 April, President Turchynov offered amnesty to the militants, if they laid down their arms, and also offered to hold referendums on autonomy.[77][78]