Russia moves to Donbas after “ineffective efforts” thus far

After two months of battle with Ukraine, Russia is shifting their tactics to the Donbas region

Senior fellow at the National Security Institute, Lester Munson, explains that Russia was “effectively defeated” by Ukraine.

After a series of unsuccessful attacks across Ukraine’s North, Russia has been forced to re-strategise.

Vladimir Putin is recalibrating his mission to focus on Donbas, the South-East region of Ukraine.

Munson explains that Russia has been present in the Donbas since 2014.

Due to the strong history in the region, both Russians and Ukrainians are familiar with the territory.

“New weapons have been provided to Ukraine… to provide them with artillery that will be more effective,” Munson says.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is not willing to trade land for peace, so Munson believes it is unlikely he will compromise with the Russians.

There has also been increased willingness to support Ukraine by military alliance NATO.

Various members of NATO intend on demonstrating support by providing weapons and financial assistance.

“We’ve also seen that there are possibly two new members of NATO… Sweden and Finland have indicated that they are very interested in joining the alliance,” Munson says.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced many European countries to reevaluate their defence strategies.

“Europe is rearming, even the Germans who have been reluctant to increase their defence spending are talking about a massive increase in spending because of the invasion.”

The largest potential threat that Putin has made to Europe is his claim to utilise nuclear weapons.

“It is almost certainly a bluff, but because the stakes are so high, it must be taken seriously,” he says.

If Russia moves towards nuclear weapons, Munson believes that there is a greater likelihood of US soldiers entering Ukraine.

Recently the US Congress passed a $13 billion dollar assistance package for Ukraine

“The Biden administration has been dolling that out over several days, but it is not going to last forever.”

“Ukraine is going to need more military and financial assistance,” he said.

President Zelensky is currently operating at a $5 billion dollar a month deficit which the West will have to fund in the future.

“For now, Congress is going to have to step up to the plate and spend more money to help Ukraine,”

Russia’s decision to recruit armed forces from Syria demonstrates their desperation, Munson says.

“It is not the move of strong power.”

“This has been a massive failure for Vladimir Putin so far, but that doesn’t mean he is going to stop. He will become more and more desperate.”

Amanda Gunn contributed to this report.