Belarusians in Ukraine are the third biggest minority after Russians. Unlike many other ethnic groups, Belarusians do not have any particular concentration in the country, but spread out relatively evenly across all regions.
The Donetsk People's Republic is a republic of Russia, comprising the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, with its capital in Donetsk.
Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, primarily the People's Militias of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), were pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. They were under the overall control of the Russian Federation. They were also referred to as Russian proxy forces. They were active during the war in Donbas (2014–2022), the first stage of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They then supported the Russian Armed Forces against the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the 2022 Russian invasion. In September 2022, Russia annexed the DPR and LPR, and began integrating the paramilitaries into its armed forces. They are designated as terrorist groups by the government of Ukraine.
The Donbas Battalion is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and formerly based in Severodonetsk. It was created in 2014 as a volunteer unit by Semen Semenchenko after the Russian occupation of Crimea and an anticipated invasion of continental Ukraine. The unit was formed in the spring during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. The unit was initially formed as an independent force, but has been fully integrated into the National Guard as the 2nd Special Purpose Battalion "Donbas" in the 15th Regiment of the National Guard.
The Sich Battalion, officially known as the 4th Sich Company of the Kyiv Regiment, is a Ukrainian special police battalion consisting of volunteers from Kyiv. The unit was formed in June 2014 by volunteers from the far-right party Svoboda at the start of the war in Donbas.
The Sparta Battalion or 80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion "Sparta" named after A. S. Pavlov is a special purpose unit of the Russian Armed Forces. Until 2023, unit was part of Russian people's militia military unit of the Russian republic of Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine. The unit has been fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas war and the 2022 Russian invasion. Formed in 2014, it was initially led by the Russian-born Arsen Pavlov until his death in October 2016, and then by Vladimir Zhoga, from Sloviansk, until his death in March 2022.
The Prizrak Brigade (Russian: Бригада «Призрак», romanized: Brigada "Prizrak", lit. 'Ghost Brigade'), founded by Aleksey Mozgovoy, is an infantry unit of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), one of the self-proclaimed breakaway states located in the Donbas. It has been officially designated Prizrak Mechanized Brigade and 4th Territorial Defense Brigade (Alchevsk). According to Amnesty International, the unit is one of the separatist units known for brutal treatment and torture of prisoners of war. Until January 1, 2023, it was part of the Luhansk People's Militia. It is attached to the 3rd Guards Combined Arms Army.
Pisky is a destroyed rural settlement in Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest from the center of the administrative center of the oblast, Donetsk, and about two kilometres (1.2 mi) from the western border of Donetsk International Airport. Before 2014, the village was a former wealthy suburb of Donetsk. It had a population of 2,160 in the 2001 census, but most residents left during the war in Donbas, with only 9 people remaining as of 2019. In 2022, the village came under Russian occupation following a battle.
Opytne is a village in Pokrovsk Raion (district) in Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine, at about 10 km (6 mi) NW from the center of Donetsk city and at about 2 km (1 mi) north from Donetsk International Airport.
The combatants of the war in Donbas included foreign and domestic forces.
The 110th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, is a unit of the Russian Ground Forces.
Ukraine's easternmost oblasts, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, have been the site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Russo-Ukrainian War has seen foreign volunteers participate on both sides of the conflict. Most foreign fighters joined the conflict during one of two waves. The first wave happened from 2014 to 2019 during the War in the Donbas and consisted of approximately 17,241 foreign fighters. The second wave is considered by researchers to have been much larger and began in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russell Bonner Bentley III, also known as Texas and the Donbass Cowboy, was an American man who served in the Vostok Battalion and XAH Spetsnaz Battalion in 2014, 2015 and 2017 on the side of the Donetsk People's Republic. He was a YouTuber until his channel was deleted in early 2022. He also worked for the Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency as a war correspondent. He became a Russian citizen via naturalization in 2021. Prior to his activities in the Donbas, he was a marijuana activist and smuggler who was later convicted of drug smuggling and spent five years in prison.
The 51st Guards Combined Arms Donetsk Army is a military formation of the Russian Ground Forces as part of the Southern Military District, formerly the 1st Army Corps of the Donetsk People's Republic. It was officially incorporated into the Russian Federation on 31 December 2022, after Russia annexed the occupied territory of Donetsk, and then reformed into a Combined Arms Army in 2024.
During May–July 2014, a series of military engagements took place for control of the village of Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine.
Over the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, irregular military units began to play a more prominent role in the fighting, alongside the regular Russian Armed Forces. In the face of waning recruitment levels for the military as casualties mounted, the Russian government increasingly turned to a variety of mercenaries, militias, paramilitaries, and mobilized convicts. In a similar fashion to the pro-Russian people's militias in Ukraine such as the DPR People's Militia and LPR People's Militia, the combat effectiveness of these irregular combatants varies greatly. This can be seen in the contrast between the poorly equipped and virtually untrained prisoners serving under Storm-Z and the professional mercenaries of PMC Wagner. The Wagner group itself also used convicts in its ranks, alongside its more experienced cadre of fighters. The organization garnered much notoriety as it took up an increasingly prominent role in the fighting in late 2022, culminating in the Battle of Bakhmut.
The 114th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade or Vostok Brigade is a military unit of Russian Ground Forces. Until January 1, 2023, it was part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). It is attached to the 51st Donetsk Combined Arms Army. The brigade was created and is commanded by Alexander Khodakovsky. According to an interview with The Washington Post, DPR president Denis Pushilin, the battalion was formed by local separatists and has nothing to do with the Chechen unit of the same name.
The 9th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, formerly known as the 9th Separate Marine Regiment and commonly known as the Mariupol–Khingan Naval Infantry is a military unit of the Russian Ground Forces. Until January 1, 2023, it was part of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR). It is attached to the 1st Donetsk Army Corps.
On 18 July 2024, Russian forces began an offensive with the goal of capturing the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. Pokrovsk serves as an important supply route and as a transportation hub for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukrainian soldiers on this part of the front are mostly made of poorly trained conscripts who reportedly had little to no training. Many Ukrainian conscripts had been reported to have deserted over the course of the offensive. The increased level of desertion has resulted in Ukrainian commanders increasing the use of blocking detachments. One Ukrainian commander told CNN that Ukrainian soldiers around Pokrovsk have been given orders to shoot unidentified persons on sight.
Donetsk People's Republic (2015–2022)
Russia (2022–present)
Russian Ground Forces (2022–present)
Volunteer Corps 
