The Battle for Donbassi here is three reasons why this region is very important to Russia

The battle for Donbas seems to have already begun, as Russia has concentrated its war machine in the eastern region - a major strategic, political and economic target for the Kremlin, writes CNBC, follows Periscope.

With nearly all the way across Ukraine, the planned Russian offensive that the weather to the east appears to have begun Monday, with its military force launching a series of attacks within the Donbas areas.

CNBC writes for three main reasons why Russia is now focusing on eastern Ukraine:

Russia Needs a Victory

A constant focus for Russia, the Donbas region includes two “Republic” separatists supported by Russia in Luhansk and Donnetsk. These provinces have been fighting Ukrainian forces for years.

Now, Russia's apparent refocusing in the area follows several military successes in the rest of Ukraine, despite almost two months of fighting.

Russian Vice President Vladimir Putin has fully abandoned his most ambitious goals,” wrote on Tuesday at APUwitter's former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, saying it was a very surprising “how they changed the name of their war to <x3 military in defense of Donbas. ”

Russian forces appear to have been unprepared and unequipped to cope with harsh fighting conditions in Ukraine and the strong resistance established by the country. Despite causing many disasters, Moscow has achieved relatively little and has failed to bring about the rapid decline of the capital Kiev and the removal of the pro-Western Zelensky government.

The Kremlin appears to be trying to announce a kind of victory in Ukraine by 9 May to the day known as the “Victory Day”, which is of great national importance to Russia after marking the handover of Nazi Germany to Russian forces that took over Berlin in World War II.

Russia wants a land bridge

A <x0fit>” in eastern Ukraine is not essential for Russia only in terms of its military strategy; there is also considerable economic value.

First, Donbas himself is a highly industrialized region known for its coal mining industry and large coal reserves that Russia could access if it captures the entire region.

And secondly, the control of the region would enable Russia to create a <x0th> ground to Crime, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and is a vital military and commercial centre for Moscow on the Black Sea.

This drive to be able to enter Crime from land is a key reason that the southern port city of Mariupol which is directly on the road to a possible land bridge has been the focus of Russian attacks and Ukrainian resistance: winning or losing it has major consequences for both sides.

Russian identity policies

The Donbas region is also important for Russia when it comes to its national identity and its impact on former Soviet territories and people within them still identified as Russians.

Indeed, Russia's self-declared “over the ethnic Russians in the Luhansk and Donesk regions (which are mainly Russian-speaking) has formed a large part of its excuse for the invasion of Ukraine.

The area is not unknown to conflict; The self-declared People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk have been the site of fighting between Russia's separatists and Ukrainian forces since Russia annexed Crime from Ukraine. The figures differ, but it is believed that about 14,000 people were killed during the longer but lower-level conflict in the area.

In addition to the conflict, over the past eight years analysts say Russia has sown seeds that would enable it to annex the Luhansk and Donetsk regions with attempts to “rustified” areas, such as offering Russian passports and citizenship to residents there since 2019.