SUMMARY
Pro-Western governmental change in Ukraine triggered by the Maidan conflict led to the initiation of a pro-Russian anti-Maidan movement in the Eastern part of the country. This movement consolidated and escalated into a series of territorial conflicts. One of these organisations was Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), claiming sovereignty over Luhansk/Lugansk Oblast and proclaiming the region independent in April 2014 and calling for a referendum on this independence by 11 May. A full-out military confrontation ensued, with large-scale military offensives by both sides, including heavy shelling, tank offensives and heavy fighting. After initial successes by Luhansk separatists over an army in disarray in April and May, the government army recaptured some lost territory in June and July, but lost it again in August and September, amidst accusations of Russian support (including with troops) on the side of LPR. Ukraine and LPR reached a ceasefire on 5 September, that soon proved to be insufficient. In order to further their military offensive and have a better voice in the negotiations, LPR and another separatist group, Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) created a new, unified group called the United Forces of Novorossiya on 16 September, changing their incompatibility to a new territory, Novorossiya, encompassing much larger swathes of land.
IN DEPTH
Ukraines Pro-European Turn Leads to Separatism and Conflict in Luhansk
Luhansk is a highly industrial, densely populated region at the easternmost edge of Ukraine in the coal-rich area known as the Donets Basin. Mainly populated by Russian ethnics, with its rather urbanised and industrialised character it contrasts substantially with much of more rural, agricultural Ukraine.
In effect, Luhansk, together with its richer neighbour Donetsk constitutes a large part of the Ukrainian rust belt, in contrast to Kiev/Kyiv and Western Ukraine, which have been regarded as Europes largest agricultural area. Russian-speaking, and mainly populated by Russian ethnics, it is not only economically distinct, but also ethno-linguistically separate from the rest of the country. This separation from the rest of Ukraine has been a major background factor in the conflict.
What triggered the actual initiation of fighting was a list of events in rapid succession. First, the victory of the Maidan movement in February 2014 led to the overthrow of the pro-Russian government and its replacement with a pro-Western, Maidan-run government (for further details, see the Ukraine:government conflict. This in turn meant that many former government officials took shelter in either Russia or the pro-Russian East of Ukraine, with voices asking for independence of these regions days after the change in government. Next, the refusal of Russia to recognise the new government, calling it "a fascist coup", led to many pro-Russian supporters to look at a Russian-backed independence for the East as a plausible scenario.
This further intensified in March 2014, as Russia, with the help of local supporters, invaded and annexed Crimea, a former Russian province ceded to Ukraine in 1954. The lack of basically any opposition to the invasion and annexation by the Ukrainian military gave hope that a similar situation may occur in Eastern Ukraine.
By early March, organized "anti-Maidan", pro-Russian groups formed in Eastern Ukraine, holding large rallies against "fascism" throughout Luhansk and neighbouring provinces, managing to amass tens of thousands of protesters. Armed militias started forming, aiming to occupy local and regional administrative buildings, in order to disrupt any form of Ukrainian administration there. Much of the local police, sharing similar opinions with the pro-Russian groups, defected to these groups. A disorganised, poorly train and corrupt military was unwilling to intervene, leading, by early April 2014, to most towns in Eastern Ukraine being occupied by various armed militias. By April 2014, organised political-military groups formed demanding the separation of various parts of Eastern Ukraine from Ukraine.
One of these, the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), was declared on 27 April (after a few previous attempts as early as 4 April) as a centralized rebel administration for Luhansk Oblast (Lugansk in Russian), grouping various pro-Russian forces into a centralized administration. The group was formed by a mix of ethnic Russians, pro-Russian Ukrainians and Don Cossacks, with initially a rather flexible command structure, with most of the power in the hand of local and regional leaders. Its initial goal was independence from Ukraine, with a immediate objective of establishing territorial control over the region in order to hold a referendum for the regions independence.
While LPR was not the only such group declared in April, it was one of two that withstood for more than a few days; the other was the more successful Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). DPR and LPR became strong allies and supporters of each-other.
In the subsequent weeks, many towns in the area fell under the control of the rebels, including Sieverodonetsk, Starobilsk, Stakhanov, Krasnodon, Antratsyt and parts of Luhansk town itself, basically allowing the rebels to exert influence control over large parts (over 40%) of the urban population in the oblast. Military and police bases were overran, with rebels obtaining access to weaponry and equipment. Relatively little opposition was encountered, as many local officials and much of the population sided with the LPR. The army itself, disorganised and having low morale, put up little resistance. By early May, the LPR secured sufficient territory to be able to run a referendum for independence of the region on 11 May and declare independence from Ukraine one day later.
Most of the efforts of the rebels, in the first few months, were to secure control over the town of Luhansk and its surroundings. While much of the city was under rebel control since April - May 2014, with checkpoints around many of the main entryways into the city, there was a strong Ukrainian presence in the city proper, including a border guards base. The airport remained under Ukrainian governmental control as well.
In early June 2014, a series of battles led to the capture of the border base (and thus of the city itself), as well as the destruction of the airport (including the downing of a number of Ukrainian military airplanes resupplying the area).
After the initial setbacks, the Ukrainian army regrouped and reorganised, receiving significant support from civilians in Western Ukraine. Volunteer factions were formed and sponsored by various political organisations, and many paramilitary groups, including those belonging to right-wing and extreme right Ukrainian parties put themselves under the control of the Ukrainian Army under the National Guard. Much better trained than the general army, and much more motivated, these volunteer battalions would stand as important parts of military action in the coming months. Further, wealthy Ukrainians (known locally as "oligarchs") contributed significant parts of their fortunes to equipping and manning the army; large industrial conglomerates participated in organising back-line defences in towns recaptured by the military.
By mid-June 2014, a new governmental offensive started, leading to the recapture of most of the more-rural northern parts of what was formerly under LPRs control, including the towns of Novoaidar and Sieverodonetsk. By late July - early August, the near encirclement of Luhansk town itself was achieved, after Novosvitlivka, an important crossroad, was recaptured by the army on 14 August. Heavy shelling ensued on both sides, with fighting taking place a few kilometers from the city itself, in Oleksandrivsk/Alexandrovka. In effect, much of Luhansk town was damaged, and most residents fled, either to Ukraine, Crimea or Russia, depending on their political allegiances.
Large levels of casualties and widespread destruction ensued, including amongst the civilian population, as shelling became a principal tactics of conflict, and both sides used low-precision heavy artillery inherited from the Soviet Union.
The tide turned in late August, after a series of defeats by the Ukrainian army on the entire front. Ukrainian, as well as many external observers, including NATO attribute this to Russia providing troops to LPR and DPR in what was dubbed an "invasion". By early September, the government was pushed back to a contiguous front-line, a few kilometers north of Luhansk town. By 5 September, all of the territory controlled by the government south of Luhansk was lost, as governmental torops were encircled and forced to surrender.
Accusations of Russia supplying rebels with firepower, machinery and even troops came from multiple sources, including NATO (who released images proving this fact), Ukraine (who captured a detachment of Russian paratroopers), Russian NGOs and even parts of the Russian government (the Russian Presidential Committee for Human Rights). Most of the government of Russia, however, while admitting to providing "humanitarian aid", including monetary support for LPR, and supporting its cause politically, refuse to acknowledge any troops were sent under official qualities to Ukraine. Russia, however, admitted that volunteer detachments, including numerous members of the armed forces officially "on leave" were fighting in Ukraine; those Russian servicemen killed in Ukraine were given state funerals on return.
As Ukraine was convinced that they were facing a full-out Russian invasion, and as LPR separatists were faced with a devastated infrastructure not allowing them to provide sufficient support to either the civilian population or their army in the coming winter, the two parties reached a ceasefire in Minsk on 5 September, under the auspices of the OSCE.
The ceasefire proved relatively ineffective - while levels of violence decreased, daily shelling remained pervasive throughout the region, with localised fighting continuing throughout the region.
A new round of negotiations was planned on 19 September. In order to better coordinate their negotiations as well as better work out military cooperation, however, DPR and LPR created a unified military command, the United Forces of Novorossiya, with a new incompatibility, the independence of both Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in a new territory called Novorossiya, on 16 September. For a description of fighting past 16 September see the Ukraine: Novorossiya conflict.
