The Hybrid War in Eastern Ukraine
Contents
Read also: Seven reasons the conflict in Ukraine is actually a Russian invasion
As August approached, it became clear that Ukrainian forces were pushing back the terrorists and it seemed that the conflict would soon be over. Meanwhile, Russia announced that it was sending a convoy of 280 tractor-trailers of humanitarian aid into the warzone. The Ukrainian government required that the trucks be inspected by the Red Cross prior to entering the country. Russia refused and entered without authorization. Shortly after the delivery, the fighting escalated as if the terrorists were now reinforced. On August 29, a battalion of Ukrainian soldiers were besieged in the town of Ilovaisk. President Putin called for a humanitarian corridor to be established so that the soldiers could withdraw from the area peacefully. Instead of allowing the soldiers to leave as agreed, the terrorists opened fire leaving over 300 dead and capturing another 500. In early September, extensive diplomatic negotiations involving the OSCE, Ukraine, Russia, DNR and LNR led to an agreement known as the Minsk Protocol. The 12-point agreement called for an immediate ceasefire, establishment of a buffer zone, exchange of prisoners, release of hostages, and decentralization of power, and resolution of other points of contention. It was a ruse, designed to allow the terrorists to continue their aggression and continue expanding their territory, while Russia continued the delivery of munitions under the guise of humanitarian aid. For the most part, Ukrainian forces maintained a defensive position and refrained from engaging the terrorists in offensive battles. By January, the terrorists had increased the territory they control by 30%, and thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed. Ukrainian-controlled cities outside of the conflict zone are being shelled by Russian forces, killing civilians. Terrorist attacks are taking place in cities all around Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied the presence of its military forces in Ukraine. It claims that any Russian citizens fighting in Ukraine are there of their own accord, including some who have been granted temporary leave from Russia’s armed forces. Human rights groups in Russia claim that many young soldiers, upon concluding their 1-year mandatory military service, are subsequently duped or coerced into continuing their service and end up fighting in eastern Ukraine. Satellite images released by the US military, as well as the passports and military IDs of captured soldiers, confirm that Russia’s military is indeed active in Ukraine.
As evidence of Russian intervention continued mounting, the European Union, Canada, the US and other nations imposed sanctions on Russian political and business leaders in the hope that this would persuade Russia to cease its operations in Ukraine. Since September 2014, American and European leaders have been engaged in the debate over whether or not to arm Ukraine with lethal weapons.
To date, the support given by the United States has been limited to intelligence information, night-vision goggles and blankets. In his address to the US congress, the Ukrainian president stated that this war cannot be won with blankets. Many argue that providing Ukraine with lethal arms would give the Ukrainian armed forces a fighting chance at repelling forces supplied by the Kremlin. In contrast, US President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel have repeatedly stated that there is no military solution to this conflict, but that pressing on with more sanctions would eventually pressure Russia to end its encouragement of the dismembering of Ukraine.
In February 2015, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany signed an agreement known as Minsk II Protocol.
The measures were nearly identical to those first proposed by Poroshenko in June 2014, and later repeated in the first Minsk Protocol of September 2014. The Minsk II Protocol was signed on February 12t and stipulated that the ceasefire would commence at 00:00h on February 15.
Read more: 12 months of Minsk-2. Examining a year of violations
While the negotiations took place, in which Putin participated, Russia continued sending heavy armaments into Ukraine. Russia denies this, but satellite imagery proves otherwise.
The shelling on the day before the ceasefire came into effect reached an all-time high. During the time of negotiations, the Ukrainian forces were defending the strategic town of Debaltseve. They were severely attacked by the Russia-supported terrorists. The terrorists claimed that they did not consider Debaltseve to be in control of the Ukrainian forces and thus exempted from the treaty.
A few days after the agreed-but-constantly-violated ceasefire, while enduring heavy battles and being caught in an offensive cauldron, Ukrainian forces retreated from Debaltseve.
Curretly, Russia is attempting, with the help of Western countries, to pressure Ukraine into fulfilling clauses of the Minsk agreement that would allow to destabilize it from within.
A brief timeline of Russia's hybrid war in Donbas is below (source):
