Battle of Donbas (2022)

For the larger eastern campaign, see Eastern Ukraine campaign. For other uses, see Battle of Donbas.

Battle of Donbas
Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Military situation as of 3 August 2022: pink highlights areas held by Russia and its proxies, yellow highlights areas held by the Ukrainian government.
Date18 April 2022 – September 2022
Location
Donbas, Ukraine
Result Inconclusive
Territorial
changes		 Russia and separatist forces capture the cities of Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Svitlodarsk,[1] Lyman,[2] Sviatohirsk,[3] all remaining Luhansk Oblast cities, and many villages.[4][5]
Belligerents
 Russia
Donetsk People's Republic
Luhansk People's Republic		  Ukraine
Units involved
See order of battle See order of battle
Strength
55,000–70,000 (total number of troops in Ukraine, mid-April) 40,000–50,000 (in Donbas, mid-April)
Casualties and losses
~5,154+ civilians killed, 5,605+ wounded
Reports vary widely. See Casualties for more details.

The battle of Donbas[6][7] was a military offensive that was part of the wider eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The offensive began on 18 April 2022 between the armed forces of Russia and Ukraine for control of the Donbas region.[8][9][10] Military analysts consider the campaign to have been the second strategic phase of the invasion, after Russia's initial three-pronged attack into Ukraine.[11][12]

Russia's strategy in the sector was to encircle Ukrainian troops in the Donbas and to annex the entire Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to the Russian-backed separatist states of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).[13][14] Russia claimed to have controlled 55% of Donetsk Oblast by 23 June 2022[15][16][17] and all of Luhansk Oblast by 3 July 2022,[18] with Russian and separatist forces controlling the cities of Mariupol,[19] Sievierodonetsk,[20] Lysychansk,[21] Rubizhne,[22] and many others.

The Russian offensive stalled in September 2022 and some of the gains were reversed after Ukraine launched its Kharkiv offensive, with Ukrainian forces recapturing the cities of Lyman and Sviatohirsk in the Donetsk region and Bilohorivka in Luhansk oblast.[23] The Ukrainian counteroffensive also stalled east of the Oskil river, and by November 2022 Russian assaults renewed in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

  1. ^ "Ukraine latest news: Shelling constant in Severodonetsk as Russian forces advance". BBC News. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 26". Institute for the Study of War. 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  3. ^ Mayor of captured Ukrainian town switches sides
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reuters42 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Aljazeera27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ FP Explainers (20 April 2022). "Battle of Donbas begins: Why Russia has turned its attention to east of Ukraine". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  7. ^ Ponomarenko, Illia (21 April 2022). "EXPLAINER: What to expect from the Battle of the Donbas, Russia's new offensive". Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Російські війська розпочали битву за Донбас – Зеленський". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Зеленский: Битва за Донбасс началась, генералы РФ действуют осторожнее". Украинская правда (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Битва за Донбасс началась, ничего украинского не отдадим — Зеленский | Громадское телевидение". hromadske.ua (in Russian). 18 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. ^ Bullock, Thomas; Fiorenza, Nicholas (22 April 2022). "Ukraine conflict: Russia begins Donbas offensive". Janes Defence. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Єрмак: Почалася друга фаза війни, але у ЗСУ все надійно". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 18 April 2022. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  13. ^ Kirby, Paul (19 April 2022). "Donbas: Why Russia is trying to encircle Ukraine's east". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  14. ^ Ellyatt, Holly (20 April 2022). "Russia and Ukraine's battle for Donbas could decide the war — and it could go either way". CNBC. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference YF1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Russia Claims It Has 97% Control of Ukraine's Luhansk Province". VOANews. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Ukrainian forces now control nearly 45% of Donetsk, says official". BusinessStandard. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Шойгу доложил Путину о взятии под контроль территории ЛНР". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  19. ^ Hopkins, Valerie; Nechepurenko, Ivan; Santora, Marc (16 May 2022). "The Ukrainian authorities declare an end to the combat mission in Mariupol after weeks of Russian siege". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Ukraine war: Kyiv orders forces to withdraw from Severodonetsk". BBC News. 24 June 2022.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISW2July was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Ukrainian forces lose foothold in eastern town". CNN. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  23. ^ "How the Battle for the Donbas Shaped Ukraine's Success".