Donbass, Ukraine. After the downing of a civilian airliner over Ukraine, Putin decides there is no longer any need for subterfuge: Russia must engage directly with the insurgents in Donbass. Russian armored columns cross the border with Ukraine, heading west. In less than a week, the territories ceded by the separatists are returned to Russian hands, and 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers find themselves surrounded. The separatist insurgency has effectively become an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
