... territories being officially recognized as permanent. As such, the belief in Kiev is that Donbass will gradually turn into a new Transnistria, only on a larger and more dangerous... ... in turn demands that the mandate of the peacekeepers be extended to cover the entire DPR and LPR territory, including unhindered access to weapons and military equipment... ... provisions should be made for the peacekeepers to patrol the sections of the Russia–Ukraine border that it does not control. Even more so because this kind of patrolling...
... more anti-Russian. But the overriding priority is to prevent a radical change in U.S. policy.
More likely than not, the Ukrainian leaders are acting on the assumption that any military actions under the present conditions are a low-risk affair. The Donbass self-defense forces are highly unlikely to launch major counter-offensives like they did near Ilovaisk or Debaltsevo. Therefore, Ukraine is free to test the strength of the DPR and LPR defenses and achieve small, if visible, successes like occupying demilitarized areas. Sabotage attacks against influential figures in the two republics also will go unanswered. The rebels will hardly come up with an adequate response. But ...