What drives Putin's appeal for Ukraine's Donbas territory?

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2025 September 3 . 3:23 PM

2 min read

Desire behind Putin's pursuit of Ukraine's Donbas area

What drives Putin's appeal for Ukraine's Donbas territory?

In the heart of Eastern Ukraine, the Donbas region has been a hotbed of conflict between Russia and Ukraine for several years. Located on the border between the two countries, this contested area has witnessed intense fighting during the ongoing conflict.

Dominic Waghorn, an international affairs editor, is currently in Kyiv, Ukraine, discussing the role of the Donbas region in a potential peace deal. The region, which is part of Ukraine but has seen Russian involvement, is significant to President Putin of Russia.

The strategic, economic, and symbolic value of Donbas makes it a key factor in the ongoing conflict. Putin demands full control over Donbas as a condition to end the war, aiming to secure a land connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Control of Donbas would also allow Russia to maintain access to the Sea of Azov and solidify its influence in eastern Ukraine.

Economically, Donbas holds rich deposits of coal, iron ore, lithium, cobalt, titanium, and other rare earth metals, making it resource-rich and strategically important for both Russia and Ukraine. Besides resources, Donbas includes key urban centers important for military defense, such as Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, which are part of Ukraine's "fortified defensive belt" preventing further Russian advances into central Ukraine.

Symbolically, Donbas is crucial to Putin's vision of the "Russkiy Mir" ("Russian world"), as it has a large population of Russian speakers and is tied to Soviet-era identity narratives. Russia frames its intervention partly as protecting Russian speakers, despite these claims lacking evidence. The region is emblematic for Russia’s official justification of the war and represents a core element of its geopolitical narrative.

Ukrainian leadership views Donbas as essential for the country's survival and security. Losing Donbas would make Ukraine significantly less defensible and potentially open the way for further Russian invasions deeper into Ukraine’s heartland.

In summary, Donbas matters to Putin as a strategic land bridge, a resource-rich area, a symbol of Russian identity and influence, and a leverage point in the broader conflict against Ukraine and the West. The discussion between security and defense analyst Professor Michael Clarke and Dominic Waghorn aims to understand why the Donbas region is central to a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

This discussion takes place in a broader context of ongoing conflict over the Donbas region, with some of the most intensive fighting occurring in this area. The producers of the discussion are Emma Rae Woodhouse and Wendy Parker.