Donbas region

Why in news?

• With Russia mobilising thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine, which has sparked fears of war, Donbas is once again at the centre of a looming conflict.

About Donbas region:

• It is a small region in eastern Ukraine adjoining the Russian border
• The Donbass region (the Donetsk and Luhansk regions) has been facing a pro-Russian separatist movement since 2014.

History of the region:

• After the Russian revolution, Donbas became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
• During the Second World War, the Nazis took the region. In 1943, after defeating the Nazis in Stalingrad, the Red Army took Donbas back.
• In 1991, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the region, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, became part of the newly born Ukrainian nation.
• The region has been facing a pro-Russian separatist movement since 2014.
• Now, Donetsk and Luhansk are two self-declared republics run by rebels backed by Russia.
• Unable to defeat the Russian-backed rebels, Ukraine agreed to the Minsk Protocol, after holding talks with the rebels and Russia that were mediated by France and Germany, in 2014. The Protocol called for an immediate ceasefire.

Current Situation:

• Russia is seeking assurances from the US that Ukraine will not be inducted into NATO. However, the US is not prepared to give any such assurance.
• This has left the countries in a stand-off, with tens of thousands of Russian troops ready to invade Ukraine.
• Russia is keeping the tensions high at the Ukraine border in order to get sanctions relief and other concessions from the West.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following pairs

Places in news        : Country

1. Donbas                    : Ukraine

2. Maputo                   : Mozambique

3. Latakia                    : Syria

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer