Is Ukraine Winning The War Against Pro-Russian Separatists?

Ukraine Is Winning the War -- Chrystia Freeland, Politico

But will Putin invade?

The fog of war, the ADHD of cable news and the smears of Russian propaganda have combined to obscure some important good news in this dismal summer. In the historic fight over the future of democracy in Ukraine, Kyiv is winning and the Kremlin is losing. That is good news for Ukrainians, but also for Europeans, for the rest of the world—and ultimately for Russians, too.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Syria have taught us that even in conflicts where it is easy to spot the villain, virtuous actors can be much harder to find, and effective virtuous actors can be rarer still. That’s why the early success of the new Ukraine is so significant.

Of course, it’s also true that at every stage in this crisis, Ukraine’s democratic victories have had the perverse consequence of escalating pressure from the Kremlin. That pattern has now led to possibly as many as 45,000 Russian troops once again massed on Ukraine’s border, as Moscow considers how to check the success of the Ukrainian military in re-establishing control over the eastern Donbass region where Russian-backed fighters have been trying and failing for months to create a breakaway republic. NATO and Ukraine’s leaders are warning there’s a significantly heightened threat of Russian invasion.

Read more ....

My Comment: An optimistic perspective from Politico reporter Chrystia Freeland .... but a perspective that I am willing to bet that a majority in eastern Ukraine will be in disagreement with. As to Ukraine winning the war .... they should .... they outnumber the rebels 3:1,  and they have the armor/artillery/and some air power to accomplish this. The problem will be winning the peace .... and the approach from Petro Poroshenko has unfortunately been one where he has decided that a military solution is the option that he will pursue. Will this succeed? I doubt it. The British occupied Ireland and fought against the Irish for centuries .... until they realized that a political solution was necessary. I predict the same for this conflict .... after the rebel strongholds have fallen this part of Ukraine will be experiencing a low-intensity insurgency for years .... but in the end a political solution will be found to end the war. The big question is .... how long is this going to take.