Russia has started its long-awaited offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in an effort to cut off the territory and finally obtain a battlefield victory.
In the lead-up to Monday’s attack, Russian forces were regrouping in the east after failing to capture a single major Ukrainian city when it began a widespread invasion on Feb.
24. Read more: Russia seizes Ukrainian city amid ‘Battle of the Donbas’ Now, both sides say the war has entered a new phase in a region that has been plagued by conflict for eight years between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.
Here’s what you need to know: The Donbas region, which consists of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, is located in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border.