In the territories of Donbass not controlled by Kyiv, a new identity is being formed, and the local population there is losing understanding of those who live in Ukraine.
Professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University, Dovil Yakniunaite, stated this in an interview with Kraina magazine, answering a question about the prospects for Donbass in the coming years.
“There will be no large-scale battles. Russia has moved into another phase. Attracts a wide range of instruments of influence outside the Donbass. In the coming years, the conflict will be “frozen”, as it was in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Nothing happened there for a long time, until Russia started a hot war in 2008. For Moscow, this is a trump card that can be used if Kyiv is too stubborn,” the expert said.
“If you look at the separatist regions in Georgia or Moldova, then time is against Ukraine. Identity is formed in uncontrolled territory. People there are losing understanding of those living in Ukraine,” Jaknyunaite added.