Amidst the conflict in Syria, fighting in eastern Ukraine between the government and separatist forces in the region has received relatively little media coverage. However, in the last few weeks, artillery shelling, use of landmines, and mortar fire has been employed by both sides, which has effectively ended the truce agreed upon last summer. According to a recent article in the New York Times, Alexander Hug, the deputy chief of the monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told reporters that 88 tanks on the Russian side of the fighting.
Although Putin government have denied supplying weaponry to the region, it’s highly unlikely that they are not providing resources to the rebel forces. What is unclear, however, is Russia’s potential motive for engaging in the conflict. In recent months, the country has deployed an advanced air defense system, numerous fighter jets, and a wide range of other military industrial resources to Syria. In the coming months, it will become increasingly difficult for Putin to balance priorities in Syria (conducting airstrikes against ISIS and anti-Assad forces) if Russia continues to be involved in eastern Ukraine. Putin will likely be forced to shift his attention to one of the two regions, and considering the consequences at stake in Syria, it is more likely to take precedent.
