While Russia is expected to include in an official ceremony today, Friday, 4 Ukrainian regions under the control of its forces, namely: the southern cities of Kherson and Zaporozhye, in addition to Donetsk and Luhansk, located in Donbass, eastern Ukraine. Questions are being raised about the importance of these territories or the benefits Moscow could get from them in exchange for the international pressure that has intensified since its annexation referendums.
There is no doubt that the control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since the beginning of the Russian military operation on the territory of Ukraine on February 24 has been the primary goal of the Russians, in order to gradually connect the eastern regions with the Crimea, which they control in the south.
Major coal and iron mines
In addition, Donetsk and Lugansk share a long common border with Russia and are inhabited by a Russian-speaking majority, noting that the population of Russian origin does not exceed 40%.
But the importance of these two regions stands out, in particular, at the economic level, since they contain the largest coal, metallurgical and steel mines in Ukraine.
The strategic city of Mariupol, which is one of the country’s most important export ports, is located within the administrative boundaries of Donetsk, the Ashark al-Avsat newspaper reports.
In addition, previous statistics show that about 70% of Ukraine’s wealth is concentrated in this part of the country, in addition to being an important node of the land and sea transport network through which the country’s exports cross the Black Sea, the Middle East and others.
As for the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, they lie within the East European Plain and have a common border.
In addition, the Zaporozhye region borders on the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, in the east it borders on Donetsk, and in the south it is washed by the Sea of Azov.
At the same time, the Kherson region is located on the border of the Dnipropetrovsk and Nikolaev regions of Ukraine and has a land border with Crimea in the south, in the southwest it goes to the Black Sea, and in the southeast to the Sea of Azov.
Perhaps, based on their location, one can understand the strategic importance of these two cities, since we can talk about ensuring the security of the western borders of Ukraine without geographical expansion, which fully guarantees control over the southern sea routes in the Azov basin and the Black Sea, and also ensures the establishment of a stable land connection Russian lands with Russia. Crimea, which although in the past was a title for the restoration of its former glory, quickly turned, with the outbreak of conflict, into a weak and soft side, which is easy to attack and through which Russia can become a target.
In addition, in the past, Kherson was the first Russian naval base for the construction of ships and until 1803 was known at that time as the Nikolaev province.
This city on the Black Sea is still an important center of the shipbuilding industry.
It is noteworthy that Russia seeks, through the control and annexation of these territories, to secure a land and sea bridge between Crimea and the eastern part of Ukraine.
