The steps the belligerents take to de-escalate violence can save lives, but people still die on the front lines and beyond.
- Crisis Group’s new visual explainer puts these dynamics in stark relief.
The war in eastern Ukraine began in March 2014.
It pits separatists backed by Russia against the Ukrainian government in two industrial regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, which are part of an area known as Donbas.
The war was ugliest in its first year, when battles raged for territory and strategic position.
Two peace agreements – known as the Minsk agreements of 2014 and…