World Desk, AnyTV, Kiev/Moscow
Published by: Kirtivardhan Mishra
Updated Tue, 22 Feb 2022 05:17 AM IST
Summary
Donetsk and Luhansk are the two states in Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists have waged a relentless war against the Ukrainian government. The rebels have also declared these two states as republics.
Russia announced to send troops to these two areas.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to recognize two Ukrainian states – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent regions. After this, he also announced to give open help to the separatists by sending his army to these two states. Putin’s move has caused a stir in Western countries. European countries, the US and Britain have also issued warnings of strict sanctions on both these regions of Russia and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, it is important to know that what is the importance of these two regions for Russia and Ukraine? Since when is the state of war going on here and after all, why will this move of Russia prove to be disturbing for the western countries?
What is the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk?
Donetsk, bordering Russia in eastern Ukraine, was once counted as Ukraine’s largest industrial region. It is the main city of the Donbass state, which has deposits of many important minerals. The city is one of the major steel producing centers of Ukraine. The population here is about 20 lakhs. At the same time, Luhansk, formerly known as Voroshilovgrad, is an important coal reserve for Ukraine. The city is also part of the Donbass region and shares a border with Russia. The northern part of this city is bordered by the Black Sea.
Why is there tension between Russia and Ukraine over this region?
Donetsk and Luhansk, part of the Donbass province, have been the main source of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In fact, the Donbass region became part of Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, Russia maintains that the majority of the people of Donbass speak Russian and therefore it is necessary to protect it from Ukrainian nationalism.
What is the tension in Donetsk and Luhansk?
Donetsk and Luhansk are the two states in Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists have waged a relentless war against the Ukrainian government. The rebels have also declared these two states as republics. Also, for a long time, they have been trying to declare a separate independent territory from Ukraine. Putin has also on Monday (February 21) clearly supporting the separatists and ordered to send his troops to both these regions for help.
Pro-Russian separatists in both these states tried to capture and control most of the territory immediately after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. But Ukraine tried its best to stop the separatists by sending troops to both these regions. For the past eight years, Ukrainian troops have been fighting separatists to keep Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. So far more than 14 thousand people have lost their lives in the war between the Ukrainian army and the separatists.