Battle of Donbass decided the end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict?

On April 19, in an interview with India Today TV channel, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov The announcement: “Another phase of the operation in Ukraine in Donbass is beginning and I am sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that the battle for Donbass had begun and pointed out that, after withdrawing troops from the capital Kiev, Russia is focusing on the area bordering Ukraine.

According to Zelensky, this was the attack that Ukraine had anticipated and that the Ukrainian army was mentally prepared for. “We can say that the Russian forces have begun the battle of Donbass that they have been preparing for a long time. No matter how many Russian troops are sent there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day,” President Zelensky announced.

In a social media post, the Ukrainian military said, “the second phase of the war has begun”, with fighting expected to be fiercer than anywhere since the fighting began. input on 24.02.

Why does Russia focus on the Donbass region?

Donbass is located in the southeast of Ukraine and includes the region Donetsk and Lugansk.

It is the industrial center of Ukraine with a predominantly Russian-speaking population and where separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years. The self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in the Donbass have been recognized by Russia as independent.

In fact, the separatists have gained control of about a third of the Donbass region since the fighting began in 2014.

The 2014 fighting took place during the Euromaidan period, a tumultuous period of protests against then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for his refusal to sign a free trade agreement with the EU.

Mr. Yanukovych was ousted and the next Ukrainian government subsequently excluded representatives of the separatists from negotiations on the Donbass region.

Since then, tensions have increased in the region with frequent skirmishes between Ukraine and separatist forces.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine. In recent weeks, after failing to capture Kiev, the Kremlin has declared the capture of the Donbass the main goal of the war.

After withdrawing from the capital, Russian forces began to regroup and reinforce their infantry in the east on the eve of the great battle.

Ukraine’s Minister of National Security Oleksiy Danilov said on April 19 that Russia had begun attacks on the Donbass and other regions in the north.

“Along the entire front line of the eastern regions of Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkiv, the Russians are trying to break through our defenses,” Danilov was quoted as saying by ABC news agency.

How many troops does Russia have for the Donbass attack?

It is difficult to know exactly how many Russian troops are in and around the Donbass area. Initial estimates suggest that the number could be as high as 60,000 soldiers.

There are currently 76 Russian combat units, known as battalion-level combat groups, in the east and south, a senior US defense official told the Associated Press. Ukraine. This is an increase from last week, when there were 65 units.

According to the Pentagon, the 76 units represent about 50,000 to 60,000 troops, based on estimates that a typical unit has between 700 and 800 soldiers.

The US says Russia is also hoarding weapons and supplies as it encircles the area. According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, Russia has added artillery, ground combat and other forces in recent days.

“We have seen Russia continue to provide support equipment, capabilities that will help them fight in the Donbass,” Mr. Kirby said.

The capture of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is seen as key as it will complete the land bridge between Russia and Russia. Crimea – peninsula annexed to Russia in 2014.

The US defense official said that, if successful in fully controlling Mariupol, Russia could free up nearly a dozen battalion-level combat groups to deploy elsewhere in the Donbass.

How does Ukraine prepare for the battle of Donbass?

So far, the Ukrainian army has held its ground, driving Russia out of Kiev and other major cities. However, doing the same in the Donbass, which shares a border with Russia, will be a greater challenge because Russian forces have an advantage there, closer to Moscow’s supplies.

Ukraine has mobilized all men between the ages of 18 and 60 to join the army, while preventing men of this age from leaving the country.

Thousands of Ukrainians voluntarily signed up to fight. And Ukraine also has the effective support of foreign countries.

The US recently announced an additional $800 million aid package for Ukraine, as well as military equipment and training, as the war in the east deepens.

The US is planning to train Ukrainians in the use of a number of weapons, including artillery. The training will be conducted outside Ukraine, said spokesman Kirby.

The US has previously trained Ukrainian forces in the use of Switchblade drones.

Mr. Kirby said that six planes loaded with military equipment have arrived in Ukraine since US President Joe Biden made the announcement last week.

On April 19, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to send more artillery weapons to Ukraine in the face of an all-out Russian offensive in the Donbass.

Mr. Biden is expected to announce in the coming days another military aid package to Ukraine comparable in size to the $800 million package the US announced last week. If the aid package is as large as expected, it will bring the total US military aid to Ukraine since Russia began to attack more than 3 billion dollars.

In London, Prime Minister Johnson told lawmakers: “Donbass is going to become an artillery conflict, Ukraine needs more artillery support, that’s what we’re going to give them… in addition to a lot of pictures. other forms of support.”

Prime Minister Trudeau said Canada will send heavy artillery and promised to provide more details.