Donetsk People’s Republic to open Moscow embassy
The pro-Russian Ukrainian breakaway state the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) will open an embassy in Moscow today.
Currently only Russia and the pro-Russian breakaway state Abkhazia recognize the DPR as a sovereign state. Alongside the Luhansk People’s Republic, the DPR represents pro-Russian elements in the Donbas region encompassing Donetsk and Luhansk—the main objective of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Russian forces largely secured control of the Luhansk region, they comparatively have made little progress in the Donetsk region since the capture of Mariupol in May. Still, the move to open an embassy in Moscow indicates Russia is unlikely to deviate from its goals of securing the entire Donbas region.
The Russian strategy has largely been to capture as much ground in the Donbas before its technical superiority in the form of heavy artillery is eroded by western support. While this has resulted in the Russian capture of key strategic cities such as Severodonetsk and Lysychansk , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently indicated that Western shipments were beginning to shift the balance of power. Should Western arms deliveries give Ukraine the upper hand, expect Ukraine to take the offensive and attempt to retake ground—for example, the city of Kherson.
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