Russian leader Vladimir Putin reportedly told President Trump his forces could conquer the long-sought-after Donetsk region by October if Ukraine didn’t give up the land as part of a peace deal — but Kyiv and US observers point out that the Kremlin has failed to take it for more than a decade.
“Kyiv and US observers point out that the Kremlin has failed to take it for more than a decade”
A part of the contested area was controlled by separatists early on, but they soon lost area.
WIKI
Sloviansk was one of the focal points in the early stages of the war in Donbas, in 2014, as it was one of the first cities to be seized and controlled by Russian-backed rebels (separatists), in mid-April 2014. Ukrainian forces then retook control of the city in July 2014, and since then, Sloviansk has been under Ukrainian control.
The 2001 population of Sloviansk was 141,066. Largely due to the ongoing war in Donbas, by early 2022 this was down to 105,141. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city’s population fell markedly, to around 24,000 by July 2022, due to shelling, and ongoing war, according to Ukrainian authorities. In April 2023, The Financial Times estimated the population to have recovered to 40-50,000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloviansk
WIKI
The 2014 Ukrainian revolution for the most part passed Sloviansk by, with no large-scale gatherings or events in the city, and polls showing people in the east of Ukraine to be largely opposed to the Maidan movement in Kyiv.
However, Sloviansk would quickly become the epicentre of events following the fallout of the revolution. On 12 April 2014, in the crisis and chaos which gripped the country following the revolution’s installing of the First Yatsenyuk government, a reported 55 armed men, led by Russian military veteran Igor Girkin, known as ‘Igor Strelkov’ stormed Sloviansk, quickly capturing the executive committee building, the police department, and the SBU office of the city. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov described the gunmen as “terrorists” and vowed to use the Ukrainian special forces to retake the buildings. On 13 April 2014, there were reports of fighting between the gunmen and Ukrainian troops, with casualties reported on both sides. The BBC’s David Stern described the pro-Russian forces as carrying Russian weapons and resembling the soldiers that took over Crimean installations at the start of the 2014 Crimean crisis.
Initially, the pro-Russia rebels enjoyed strong support, with the New York Times reporting: “Thousands of residents thronged a large square in front of City Hall to welcome the pro-Russian putsch, chanting “Russia, Russia” and posing for photographs with gunmen they hailed as their saviors from the fascists who had seized power in Kiev with the February ouster of President Victor F. Yanukovych, a Russian-speaker from Donetsk.”
Elected mayor of Sloviansk Nelya Shtepa gave a series of contradictory statements on her support for the pro-Russia side, and was then taken captive by the pro-Russia side. Shtepa would be one of several high-profile detainments during rebel control of Sloviansk. On 14 April the pro-Russia side installed their own ‘people’s mayor’ Vyacheslav Ponomarev, to deal with civilian matters, and press, while Strelkov / Girkin took charge of military matters. Throughout April, and May, Ponomarev would hold near daily press conferences in the city’s administrative building. On 9 May, Victory Day, there was a parade, and large gathering of people in the central Square of Sloviansk. Nelya Shtepa appeared, the first time she had been seen in public since mid-April, and gave a pro-Russian speech on stage, urging people to vote in the referendum scheduled for 11 May. Recently freed rebel leader Pavel Gubarev also appeared on stage. Referendums went ahead across Donbas on 11 May, including Sloviansk, with the pro-Russia side reporting a turnout of near 75%, with over 90% voting for self rule as part of the Donetsk/Luhansk People’s Republics. However, the referendums were not monitored, or endorsed, by any international observers, or organisations, and their results almost universally unrecognised in the west. Russia issued a statement saying they ‘respected’ the results of the referendums, but stopped short of recognising them.
Fighting intensified throughout May, as Ukrainian forces escalated their ‘ATO’ (Anti-Terror Operation) to retake the city, with a Ukrainian military helicopter shot down at the start of the month, and multiple casualties reported in fighting on both sides. May would also see escalating civilian casualties in Sloviansk, as Ukrainian forces began their assault on the city. On 5 May, 30-year-old Irina Boevets was killed by a stray Ukrainian bullet, as she stepped out on her balcony. The Guardian at the time reported these civilian deaths as “fuelling pro-Russian sentiment”. Fighting between sides would wage in May, with increasing intensity. A follow-up referendum to the referendum on 11 May had been planned for 18 May, giving voters the option of joining Russia, however this was abandoned due to the escalation of fighting. On 29 May 2014, a Ukrainian helicopter carrying fourteen Ukrainian special service soldiers, including General Serhiy Kulchytskiy – the head of combat and special training for Ukraine’s National Guard, crashed after being shot down by militants near Sloviansk. Ukraine’s outgoing President Olexander Turchynov described the downing as a “terrorist attack,” and blamed pro-Russian militants.
As June went on, it became clear that the pro-Russia side were losing the battle for Sloviansk, beset by a number of problems, including infighting, with enmity between ‘people’s mayor’ Ponomarev, and Strelkov/Girkin, resulting in Strelkov/Girkin having Ponomarev arrested, and dismissed from his duties, on 12 June. Ukrainian forces further stepped up their shelling of Sloviansk in June. Sloviansk was ultimately held by Russian-backed rebels for nearly three months, from mid-April until 5 July 2014, during which time fighting between the rebels and the Ukrainian army escalated, along with shelling of civilian areas of the city, with both military and civilian casualties. In late June, the Ukrainian army started advancing on Sloviansk, taking strategically significant locations, including the Karachun Mountains. This, combined with Strelkov’s videos decrying a lack of support, made the rebel retreat an inevitability. A 10-day ceasefire, not entirely observed by either side, ended on 30 June, and in early July, faced with a full-on Ukrainian offensive, Strelkov co-ordinated the retreat of his forces from Sloviansk. Initially they had planned to go to nearby Kramatorsk, however when it became clear that the Ukrainian army would also take Kramatorsk, which they duly did, most headed to Donetsk, which would then become their stronghold.
Sloviansk was one of several territories taken by Ukrainian forces at this time, including the nearby cities of Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloviansk
NATO is being run out of Ukraine. Putin told Trump that none of NATO will remain after the war. It appears that two weeks were provided to Ukraine and NATO to relocate their operations out of Ukraine. Russia went after NATO inside Ukraine. This is important because it marks a point in the conflict where Russia first tells the primary stakeholder in Ukraine that it will not accept NATO in Ukraine.
NATO built the defensive lines and fortifications.
NATO armed and trained the AFU.
NATO directed the battlefield and was in charge of tactics.
The Pentagon (NOT Ukraine, Zelinski) did make all requests to the “President” either Trump or Biden for Project Ukraine. Remember how we were told Zelinski came with the list of things he wanted - remember when the NYT told us/US_A that the Pentagon was the one in fact making all arms requests....
NATO is on the ground in the form various contingents. The British are intent on holding on to Odessa. The French are there too. These forces are routinely destroyed or attacked.
It has been two weeks. Now the Russian’s are removing the spys from the West and their places of work inside Ukraine. That Russia is willing to call a spade a spade, or a spy a spy, and destroy their nest is essential diplomatic/war turn of direction. This means that if the EU refuses to recognize Russia then Russia refuses to recognize the EUs legimaticy in Ukriane.
It will not be long before the EU countries start to talk with Russia. This is the first time Russia has broke diplomatic relations with the EU or NATO. They have strong ties to Trump. The destruction of the so called EU and NATO offices inside Ukraine mark a point that Russia will not accept NATO in any form inside Ukriane.