The ongoing war in Ukraine is much more than just the fighting on the frontline. It is ultimately a war for ideals, a conflict that stretches to the theoretical limits of global politics.
October 31, 2022 –
Andrii Dligach
Valerii Pekar
– 
Analysis
Ukrainian Motherland Monument in Kyiv. Photo: Yevhen Roshchyn / Shutterstock
To grasp the essence of the current war, one needs to examine closely its multilevel nature. The presence of many hidden levels makes it hard to get an in-depth understanding of the ongoing motives and strategies. This also complicates the interpretation of current events and scenarios for the future. In this article, initially written in 2014, we try to understand the levels of the present conflict. Without this step, it is impossible to effectively lead and win it.
1. Ukraine vs the “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics”
Separatism
Even now, in the ninth year of the war, the vast majority of Russian citizens are convinced that the armed conflict in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has been waged between Ukraine and the “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics”. The Ukrainian armed forces, they believe, have been fighting the local “people’s militia”, possibly diluted by the “patriots of the Russian world”.
Despite Russian propaganda, outside Russia this simple but erroneous picture did not last long. It was refuted at first by the influx of Russian…
