Winning in the Donbas: What Russia’s 2014–2015 Campaign Reveals About Modern War

Despite the rise of drones and precision strikes, Russia's 2014-2015 Donbas campaign serves as a powerful reminder that large-scale ground combat remains essential for achieving decisive political outcomes in war. This campaign, which included the sieges of Ilovaisk and Donetsk Airport, masterfully sequenced a series of integrated battles to advance Russia's strategic aims. The conflict illustrates that it takes a land force to defeat a land force and that strategic gains often come through the physical destruction of the enemy. Ultimately, Russia's coherent military operations forced Ukraine into the Minsk II agreement, a political victory that demonstrated how battlefield success can be translated into geopolitical advantage.