The Hill
“Putin’s bid to force Ukraine to cede areas of Donetsk Oblast that Russia does not occupy is not a compromise in support of a peace, but a ploy to get this crucial territory for essentially nothing,” Grace Mappes, Russia analyst with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, said in an email to The Hill.
“Russian forces would have to wage a years-long, bloody campaign to seize the remainder of Donetsk Oblast militarily, as they currently have no means of rapidly enveloping or penetrating Ukrainian defensive positions here,” Mappes said.
“Putin’s demand for all of Donetsk Oblast would have Ukraine cede this defensive line and withdraw to new positions that Ukraine has not had time to prepare, which would place Ukrainian forces at a significant disadvantage upon the resumption of hostilities.”
