Russian Battalions Have Gone Across the Ukrainian Border

The institution did not release any details related to the breach of the Ukrainian territorial integrity by the Russian Armed Forces, however, transfer of the regular Russian forces is most probably related to the fights in the vicinity of the Donetsk airport, during which the government forces forced the separatists to leave the area where that object is located.

It is worth noting that the spectacular intervention of the Russian Army within the Ukrainian territory had taken place last year, when the forces of the counter-terrorism operation started to push the rebels out from the occupied area of Donbas. Due to the activity of regular military units from Russia, areas of so called people’s republics have not been liberated. And if that was not enough, territory of these areas has reached the Black Sea coast and Greater Mariupol area. 

It still remains unknown whether the transfer of two battalions from the Russian territory mentioned above may be treated as a beginning of a larger offensive operation which is carried out by the Kremlin. As it is stressed by the Kiev authorities, the fact that the rebels have been pushed away from the airport basically means that the regulations imposed by the demarcation line have been broken. This line has been established within the scope of so called Minsk Memorandums. On the other hand, Moscow claims that the Ukrainian operation in Donetsk broke the memorandum made in Minsk.