Leni and Jiri Valenta with soldier in Mariupol, photo via the authorsBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,136, April 9, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Although Vladimir Putin has not articulated the final objective of his proxy war in eastern Ukraine, his actions seem to indicate that he is determined to create a land bridge from Mariupol to Odessa – two major seaports vitally important to Ukraine’s economy. Putin’s overall strategy in Ukraine seems to be to strangle it economically by disrupting shipping between the Odessa and Azov Sea ports, with the aim of eventually subjugating Ukraine to Russia.
On April 3, 2018, Russian …read more