Ukraine Crisis in Maps - NYTimes.com

8/11/2019 Ukraine Crisis in Maps - NYTimes.com

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A visual guide to the continuing conflict.

Violence has continued

throughout eastern Ukraine

despite a cease-fire agreement

on Sept. 5. Rebels who had

been cut off from the urban

centers of Donetsk and

Luhansk now have access to a

continuous region stretching to

the Sea of Azov. Ukraine's

parliament passed a series oflaws on Tuesday, one that

granted temporary autonomy

to two regions, Donetsk and

Luhansk, where the rebels have

been trying to break away from

Ukraine.

The Donetsk and Luhansk

regions are densely populated,

heavily industrial areas in

eastern Ukraine where a

majority of people speak

Russian and a sizable minority

of the population is ethnically

Russian. The regions sharehundreds of miles of border

with Russia, much of which is

currently controlled by rebel

forces. Some analysts have

suggested that President

Vladimir V. Putin of Russia

may want the area as a buffer

between Russia and a hostile

Ukraine, or as a gray zone

where Russia can foment

unrest to influence Ukrainian

policy.

Ukraine Crisis in Maps - NYTimes.com 22/09/2014

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In recent days, the Ukrainian

military has lost ground in

eastern Ukraine. Last month

the military had cut both

Donetsk and Luhansk off from

their supply chains, but now

the cities are reconnected to the

larger area of rebel-controlled

territory. Ukrainian officials

said that the lost ground and

the opening of a third front atNovoazovsk are a result of

direct intervention from

Russia. Russia denies sending

weapons and fighters across

the border.

President Vladimir V. Putin of

Russia hailed on Friday the

success of a recent rebel

offensive and asked that a

humanitarian corridor be

opened to allow encircled

Ukrainian fighters to retreat.

Ukrainian officials said Russian

forces and separatists

continued fighting near

Novoazovsk, a town along the

southern land route from

Russia to Crimea, which

emerged as a new front on

Wednesday. On Thursday,

NATO released satellite images

it said showed Russian artillery

units operating in eastern

Ukraine.


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3/14

Intense violence continues in

Donetsk, the largest city under

the control of pro-Russian

separatists. Ukranian forces

have cut the city off from the

rest of the rebel-held territory,and government officials said

they had destroyed three rebel

checkpoints near the city of one

million people. The Donetsk

city council released locations

of more than 130 sites in the

city that have been hit by

rocket fire over the last month.

Two satellite images of the

Russian military base near

Rostov were released on

Tuesday by the Office of the

Director of National

Intelligence. American

intelligence officials said that

the image on the right, taken

approximately a month after

the image on the left, shows

how much buildup there has

been at the base. American

officials said Tuesday that there

has been a stream of military

support to rebels in Ukraine.

As international experts began

the investigation of Malaysia

Airlines Flight 17, heavy

fighting between the Ukrainian

military and pro-Russian


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/world/europe/malaysia-airlines-jet-ukraine.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/world/europe/ukraine-russia-convoy-talks.html


4/14

separatists continued. After

Ukrainian soldiers retook

Slovyansk earlier in July,

insurgents dug into the urban

centers of Donetsk and

Luhansk. Reports emerged that

Russia was building up forces

along border areas, and several

Ukrainian military aircraft

were shot down near the

Russian border before MalaysiaFlight 17.

After a 10-day cease-fire,

President Petro O. Poroshenko

ordered government forces to

resume fighting the pro-

Russian separatists in eastern

Ukraine. Conference calls

between leaders of Ukraine,

Russia, France and Germany

had failed to bring tangible

results, like rebels' relinquishing

border crossings at Izvarino,

Dolzhansky and

Chervonopartyzansk. There

were fierce battles throughout

the region on Tuesday,

including in the cities of

Donetsk, Slovyansk and

Kramatorsk.

Violence escalated in the

Donetsk region in the days

before and after the May 25

presidential election. Pro-

Russian rebels ambushed a

military checkpoint in

Blahodatne on May 22, killing

as many as 15 Ukrainiansoldiers. A firefight between a

Ukrainian militia group and

pro-Russian rebels in Karlovka

the following day left at least

seven people dead. And one day


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after Petro O. Poroshenko was

elected president, dozens of

pro-Russian separatists were

killed in an offensive by the

Ukrainian military to retake

the airport.

A close look at the day-to-day

action in Ukraine from reports

by international observers

reveals a mixed picture of the

rebellion. While increasing

rebel activity by pro-Russian

militants in Ukraine can leave

the impression that Kiev has

lost its hold on the east, support

for a united Ukraine is strong

in some key cities. Militants in

parts of the east vowed on

Thursday to press ahead with a

referendum on Sunday seeking

autonomy.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/world/europe/managing-every-detail-separatists-prepare-for-voting-in-eastern-ukraine.html


6/14

Ukrainian military and police

forces on Friday resumed their

effort to retake Slovyansk,

pushing armed separatists from

the citys outskirts with

armored vehicles, helicopters

and ground troops. By early

afternoon, the military

movements appeared to have

ceased, and Ukrainian troops

were posted at their newly

captured positions in the

villages of Bylbasovka and

Andreyevka. About 10

Ukrainian armored personnel

carriers and a few trucks had

captured a bridge just outside

of Slovyansk.

The interim Ukrainian

government increased its

military presence in the east of

the country and set up

checkpoints near Slovyansk, a

city that has been under rebel

control since early April. Still,

pro-Russia gunmen were able

to gain more ground this week:

At least a dozen cities are now

in the hands of separatists. On

Wednesday, rebels took

administrative buildings in

Horlivka, and the countrys

acting president said the

governments police and

security officials were helpless

to control the rebellion.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/world/europe/ukraine.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/world/europe/ukraine.html


7/14

Pro-Russian militants have

been reported in at least a

dozen cities in eastern Ukraine.

The interim Ukrainian

government threatened to

blockade Slovyansk, which pro-

Russian rebels have held since

the beginning of April. In

Luhansk, armed men have

occupied public buildings for

weeks. In Kramatorsk, a

Ukrainian military transport

helicopter was set on fire

Friday, but the cause of the

blaze was unclear.

In public remarks on

Thursday, President Vladimir

V. Putin asserted Russia's

historical claim to

Novorossiya, or New

Russia, a term that refers to a

broad area of modern Ukraine

that used to be part of the

Russian empire. The territory

stretches from the border of

Moldova in the west to the

Russian border in the east, and

includes the port city of Odessa

to the south and the industrial

center of Dnipropetrovsk in the

north.

An effort by the Ukrainian

Army to regain control of

Slovyansk and other eastern

cities from pro-Russia

insurgents appeared to stall

Wednesday, with one column


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8/14

to militant separatists and

another ground to a halt by

unarmed protesters blocking its

path.

Russian flags flew overadministrative buildings in

several eastern Ukraine cities,

including Mariupol, Horlivka

and Slovyansk, where

Ukrainian commandos

engaged in gunfights with

opposition militants. The unrest

in Donetsk, eastern Ukraines

most populous region, began

April 6 in the regional capital

when pro-Russian activists

seized government

headquarters and declared the

Peoples Republic of Donetsk.

NATO released satellite images

that showed Russian ground

and air forces gathering within

miles of the Ukrainian border

around the end of March. The

alliance estimated that 35,000

to 40,000 troops had massed in

the area, with the ability tomobilize within hours.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/world/europe/russia-plotting-for-ukrainian-influence-not-invasion-analysts-say.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/world/europe/russia-east-ukraine.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/world/europe/ukraine-crisis.html


9/14

Pro-Russian demonstrations in

eastern Ukraine continued

after Russias seizure of Crimea

and the subsequent deployment

of Russian troops near the

border with Ukraine. On April

6, hundreds of protesters

calling for a referendum

similar to the one held in

Crimea seized government

buildings in Kharkiv, Luhansk

and Donetsk. Demonstrators

were expelled on April 8 from a

regional administration

building in Kharkiv by

Ukrainian troops.

Ukraine announced on March

19 it was evacuating all

military personnel from

Crimea, a day after Russia

declared it was annexing the

peninsula. Both countries have

also been mobilizing troops

near Ukraines eastern border.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/world/europe/crimea.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/world/europe/ukraine-russia.html


10/14

With shows of force at

Ukrainian bases, Russia

continued to consolidate its

military position throughout

Crimea.

Days after the end of the Sochi

Winter Olympics, President

Vladimir V. Putin began a

covert military operation in

Crimea, an autonomous region

of Ukraine that was once part

of Russia and is a vital base forthe Russian Navy. Here are key

moments in the operation.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/08/world/europe/russias-move-into-ukraine-said-to-be-born-in-shadows.html


11/14

Sevastopol has been the

headquarters of Russia's Black

Sea Fleet since 1783. After the

Soviet Union collapsed, Russia

leased part of the port from

Ukraine to continue using the

base. The Ukrainian Navy also

uses the bay. An analysis by

IHS Janes of satellite imagery

captured March 3 by Airbus

Defense and Space/CNESshows the positions of some of

the Russian vessels.

The satellite image showed

three Russian naval ships in an

apparent attempt to prevent

three Ukrainian naval ships

from leaving port. The largest

Ukrainian vessel was formerly

a research ship that had been

converted for use as a

command ship.

Two guided missile warships

were parked on the north side

of the harbor.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/world/europe/in-crimea-talk-turns-to-war-but-no-fighting-is-seen.html


12/14

One of the fleets two

hovercraft was parked here.

The second one could not be

seen in the satellite imagery.

These two hovercraft are

primarily used as combat

vessels and are equipped with

missiles.

Russia's military abilities dwarf

those of Ukraines, which is

underfunded and poorly

positioned to counter an attack

from the east. According to a

recent report by the

International Institute for

Strategic Studies, Ukraines

armed forces use mainly

Soviet-era equipment, much of

which needs to be upgraded or

replaced. Ukrainian air

defenses are considered weak

and its naval fleet is far inferior

to Russias. Still, many experts

have doubts that Russia would

intervene elsewhere in Ukraine

because it would be difficult for

Russian forces to control more

territory.

Most of modern Ukraine was

absorbed by the Russian

Empire in the 18th and early

19th centuries. Southern

sections were acquired from

the Ottoman Empire, including

Crimea in 1783. Poland

surrendered much of western




13/14

Ukraine the next decade. By

1815, as much as 85 percent of

ethnic Ukrainian territory was

within the Russian Empire.

Soviet victory in World War II

delivered the westernmost

portion of Ukraine to the Soviet

Union from Poland.

Ukraine's political split reflects

a deeper cultural divide in the

country. In the 2010

presidential election, the

opposition won in all of

Ukraine's western provinces,

where most people speak

Ukrainian rather than Russian

and many call for deeper

economic and political ties with

Europe.

About 53 percent of Russian

gas exports to Europe pass

through Ukraine. Europe, in

turn, depends on Russia for 40

percent of its imported fuel.

According to Mikhail

Korchemkin, head of East

European Gas Analysis, a

consulting firm in

Pennsylvania, the most

important pipelines that run

through Ukraine are the ones

leading to Slovakia. They will

eventually take gas to

Germany, Austria and Italy.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/world/europe/us-seeks-to-reduce-ukraines-reliance-on-russia-for-natural-gas.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/world/europe/with-presidents-departure-ukraine-looks-toward-a-murky-future.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/world/europe/crimea-russia.html


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