SIPRI Yearbook 2016
III. External intervention in the Ukraine conflict: towards a frozen conflict in the Donbas
Although a baseline for civil conflict existed in eastern Ukraine in late 2013, most of the key triggers that transformed a situation of local conflict into violence and war—the appearance of first paramilitary and then military forces, huge amounts of arms as well as financial and organizational resources—were externally sourced. More specifically, they were supplied by Russia or by supporters of Viktor Yanukovych, the Russia-backed President of Ukraine deposed in 2014. Furthermore, the most important effect of Russian intervention was to provoke the onset of war. The Russian intervention has also prolonged the conflict and made a negotiated settlement harder to achieve. While Western powers have been unable or unwilling to intervene to the same degree, their belated assistance to Ukraine has helped strengthen the Ukrainian side’s ability to fight and has, therefore, also contributed to prolonging the conflict. Unilateral intervention, as defined by Karlén, means ‘intervention by a third-party government in an internal armed conflict in favour of either the government or the opposition movement’. This section looks at developments in the Ukraine conflict in 2014–15, paying special attention to the role of unilateral intervention.
- Citation (MLA):
- Davis, Ian. "4. External support in civil wars and other armed conflicts." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 8 Nov. 2024. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198787280/sipri-9780198787280-chapter-004-div1-037.xml>.
- Citation (APA):
- Davis, I. (2016). 4. External support in civil wars and other armed conflicts. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2016: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 Nov. 2024, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198787280/sipri-9780198787280-chapter-004-div1-037.xml
- Citation (Chicago):
- Davis, Ian. "4. External support in civil wars and other armed conflicts." In SIPRI Yearbook 2016: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 8 Nov. 2024, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198787280/sipri-9780198787280-chapter-004-div1-037.xml
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