In Brief: The War in Ukraine
In Brief: The War in Ukraine (also known as the War in Donbas) is a war sparked by the 2014 Ukrainian revolution which saw the removal of then President Yanukovych, who was criticised for his pro-Russian policies, in favour of a more European-leaning government. Yanukovych fled to Russia, as counter demonstrations began to form in the south and east of Ukraine.
Russia then sent ‘little green men” to the Crimean Peninsula, who seized important bases, and illegally annexed the peninsula under the guise of a mostly unrecognised referendum. This was followed by two oblast’s in Ukraines East (along the Ukrainian/Russian border) declaring themselves to be the separatist states of Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. Favouring Russian, rather than European influence, these two self-declared republics (unrecognised internationally) have since been engaged in armed conflict with Ukraine, relying exclusively on Russian weapons, munitions and manpower. While consistency denying its involvement in the war, over the years Russia has been found to be supplying weapons, supplies and trained personnel.
The war reached international headlines in 2014, when a ground-to-air missile launched from separatist territory brought down an international airliner, flight MH-17 killing all 298 onboard. The Dutch led investigation into the incident and weaponry used still continues. Fighting remained fierce in early 2015, with Ukraine making gains and recapturing lost ground. With several attempts to implement a ceasefire failing, fighting did fall later in 2015 amid a new ceasefire (known as the Minsk Protocol). This has led to the current trench warfare stalemate and although the ceasefire has reduced engagements, it’s still broken daily with soldiers and civilians regularly suffering the price. The situation on the ground is now monitored by the O.S.C.E, and while weekly Minsk talks happen between Ukraine and Russia, alongside a ‘Normandy Format” meeting they’ve failed to agree any lasting peace.
