Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Financial Times: West must help Ukraine to defend itself
Ukrainian servicemen of the Donbass volunteer battalion take part in clean-up operations in a village in the Lysychansk district of the Lugansk region, controlled by pro-Russian separatists on January 28, 2015. Ukraine's president appealed to Russia's Vladimir Putin and Washington threatened tougher measures should Moscow fail to rein in separatist fighters mounting a new offensive in the east of the ex-Soviet republic. AFP PHOTO/ ANATOLI BOIKO
In the past few days, Vladimir Putin’s objectives in eastern Ukraine have taken a new and darker turn. The Russian president has so far been opportunistic in his conduct of the war with Kyiv, keeping open his options to escalate and de-escalate where and when he sees fit. Now, pro-Russian rebels are engaged in a major offensive against the Ukrainian army on several fronts.
