Why Ukraine?

It all culminated on Monday when Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of two Moscow-backed breakaway enclaves calling themselves the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR). Nobody knows if it will end there.
The pro-Russian separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Moscow recognized as independent on Monday which haven't been under Kiev's control since 2014, are located in the Donets Coal Basin (Donbas for short) in eastern Ukraine, where most Russians speak Russian.
The Donetsk and Luhansk regions are, therefore, part of the larger Donbas region. The war between separatists and the authorities in Kiev since 2014 has killed almost 15.000 people.
Each of the two separatist republics recognized by Putin occupies about a third of the region in which they are located - Donetsk and Luhansk. When Russian-backed rebels seized government buildings in cities across eastern Ukraine in 2014, clashes erupted, leaving two areas in the Donbas region in the hands of separatists.
The conflict erupted immediately after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which provoked international condemnation. The international community did not recognize their independence, which was declared after the referendum.
The separatist-controlled areas of Donbas became known as the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The Ukrainian government claims that the two regions are actually under Russian occupation. Only Russia now recognizes the self-proclaimed republics, and the Ukrainian authorities refuse to talk directly to any of them.

EPA-EFE ROMAN PILIPEY

The city of Donetsk (formerly called Stalin) is the largest city in Donbas and one of the main...