Category: donbass

Lavrov Says Russia’s Aims in Ukraine Now Go Beyond Donbass

LONDON—Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow’s military “tasks” in Ukraine now went beyond the eastern Donbass region, in the clearest acknowledgment yet that its war goals have expanded in the past five months. In an interview with state news agency RIA Novosti, Lavrov said geographical realities had changed since Russian and…


Putin Declares Victory in Embattled Donbass Region of Luhansk

POKROVSK, Ukraine—Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared victory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, one day after Ukrainian forces withdrew from their last remaining bulwark of resistance in the province. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin in a televised meeting Monday that Russian forces had taken control of Luhansk, which together…


Zelenskyy Appeals for ‘Heavy Weapons’ as Western Allies Step Deeper Into Russia–Ukraine Territory Dispute

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on its Western allies to provide more “heavy weapons” to confront Russian forces in Ukraine’s separatist-held territories where Russia is pushing its claims. “We need heavy artillery, armored vehicles, air defense systems, and combat aircraft,” he said in a video message. “Anything to repel Russian forces and stop their…


Russia Aiming at ‘Korean’ Model for Splitting Ukraine, Intel Chief Warns of Guerilla Resistance

Moscow is attempting to divide Ukraine through war efforts in the country, Kyiv’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said while adding that his nation’s army will proceed to engage in guerilla warfare to avoid such a situation. “After the failures near Kyiv and the impossibility of overthrowing the central government of Ukraine, Putin is already…


UK Sanctions 5 Russian Banks and 3 Billionaires After Putin Orders Troops Into Eastern Ukraine

Britain has imposed sanctions on five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to move troops into Eastern Ukraine. Putin announced on Feb. 21 that Russia will regard two areas in Ukraine’s Donbas region as independent, and signed a decree authorising Russian troops to be sent into the…


Ukraine Separatist Leader Warns Region Is on Brink of Large-Scale War

Tensions in Ukraine ratcheted up a notch Friday as the pro-Russian separatist leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine’s conflicted Donbass region said the situation there was “nearing large-scale war,” adding he had ordered a general military mobilization and evacuation of civilians. DPR head Denis Pushilin told the state-owned Russian-language news…


Ukraine Calls for Path Into NATO After Russia Masses Troops

KYIV—President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on NATO on Tuesday to lay out a path for Ukraine to join the Western military alliance, after days in which Russia has massed troops near the conflict-hit Donbass region. Zelenskiy’s comments drew an immediate rebuke from Moscow, which said Kyiv’s approach to NATO could further inflame the situation in Donbass,…