Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Hennadiy Lyuk: The games of Putin and Akhmetov
Russian President Vladimir Putin does not need the Donbas in Russia. Putin does not need the Donetsk and Luhansk “republics” either. In both cases, Putin would be forced to support the Donbas financially from the Russian budget. And Donbas, with its current outdated, unreformed economy, especially if subjected to possible sanctions, would become a much greater burden for Russia than Crimea, Abkhazia and Transnistria put together.