Fighting has intensified in the Donbas region
Ukraine may find it harder to hold Russian forces back there
“IT CAN NOW be stated that Russian troops have begun the battle for Donbas,” pronounced Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, late on April 18th. More than three weeks have now passed since Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, abandoned his assault on Kyiv and retreated from northern Ukraine. Now Mr Putin is throwing a large portion of his weary army at eastern Ukraine in the hope of salvaging something from his war. The coming weeks are likely to see the bloodiest battles since Russia first invaded the Donbas region in 2014.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “A new phase begins”
Europe April 23rd 2022
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- Georgians back Ukraine, but their government is more hesitant
- Protests and politics will dominate this year’s Biennale
- Emmanuel Macron remains the strong favourite to win France’s presidency
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From the April 23rd 2022 edition
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