The conflict in Donbas remains a focal point of daily updates from Ukraine, where frontline developments in Lugansk and Donetsk continuously shape international perceptions of the Russian campaign. By March, the city of Bakhmut had already become a central milestone in the war and a leading indicator of Moscow’s broader objectives as it pressed toward Kramatorsk and Slaviansk.
From an undisclosed position on the southern front, the commander of the Georgian Legion, Mamuka Mamulashvili, spoke in an exclusive interview with EL PERIÓDICO from the Prensa Ibérica group along with another Catalan outlet. He suggested that Russian commanders are concentrating tens of thousands of troops in this area to potentially extend the land corridor linking Crimea with Donbas, a strategic aim Moscow has pursued since the earliest stages of the conflict.
According to the commander at the helm of a multinational unit that includes participants from roughly twenty nations, the Russians have mobilized about 80,000 men. He described many as members of the latest mobilization and said the force includes soldiers with varied backgrounds, some even born in Russia. He criticized Kiev for alleging a lack of regard for Ukrainian soldiers, arguing that Moscow would risk exhausting its own supply of arms before testing Ukrainian defenses. The ongoing clashes along this sector have reinforced his view that Russia may be preparing another major assault. He noted recent attempts to breach the lines and emphasized the persistent pressure on the front.
part of the Russian Federation
President Putin has claimed that southern Ukraine is an integral part of the Russian Federation, a stance the commander rejects. He urged Western allies to accelerate the delivery of weapons, particularly long-range artillery systems known widely as HIMARS, which have influenced battlefield dynamics this year. The goal remains to reposition Russian forces from already established holdings to strengthen the southern defense and complicate Ukrainian counterstrikes.
Analysts, including David Lewis, a professor of Global Politics at the University of Exeter and an expert in international security and authoritarianism, foresee further pressure in the south. The aim appears to be to move defensive lines farther from Russia and to widen opportunities for the Crimean corridor, potentially reducing vulnerability to Ukrainian counterattacks around Melitopol.
Mamulashvili highlighted the strong historical ties between Georgia and Ukraine since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He recalled Georgia’s own experience when Moscow first attacked Georgian territories in the early 1990s and noted that Ukraine was among the first to lend support. The Georgian leader described the complex history of Abkhazia, a region whose status remains disputed and is not widely recognized as independent. He reflected on how Georgian memory of past Russian actions shapes present attitudes toward the broader Ukrainian conflict, expressing hope that Russia’s influence could be weakened and that regional borders might be preserved.