THE GLOVES ARE OFF

The Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine has now completed its seventh month.

- PANKAJ SARAN

The pithiest comment to capture the mood in the “rest” of the world is the one made by Dr S. Jaishankar when he said recently, echoing Nehru: “Europe has to get over its belief that its problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not its.” Sitting a few thousand miles away, India, like the majority of the world, is watching the power struggle underway in Europe, with grave consequences to its economy.

After seven months of tactical feints, localised battles and significant military losses, the areas of Russian interest in Ukraine have become clearer. These are the eastern periphery of Ukraine bordering Russia, the core being the Donets Basin, or Donbass for short, and some parts of Ukraine bordering the Black Sea, near Crimea. Many of these have large ethnic Russian populations. Four of these regions will soon “join” Russia after the September 23 referendum, and become Russian territory. The referendum is an inflection point in the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement calling for a partial mobilisation of his country’s military reservists also signalled Moscow’s resolve to pursue its objectives in Ukraine.