section_path: History/War in the Donbas (2014–2021)/First months of the war
section_name: First months of the war
paragraph_text: First months of the war
  
  On 12 April 2014, a fifty-man unit of pro-Russian militants seized the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. They had been sent from Russian-occupied Crimea and wore no insignia. The heavily armed men were Russian Armed Forces "volunteers" under the command of former GRU colonel Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin. He said that this action sparked the war in eastern Ukraine:
  
  I'm the one who pulled the trigger of this war. If our unit hadn't crossed the border, everything would have fizzled out, like in Kharkiv or Odesa.
  
  The separatists were supported with weaponry, artillery, armored vehicles and volunteers from Russia, including Chechen and Cossack fighters. Putin gave legitimacy to the separatists when he described the Donbas as part of the historical imperial territory of " New Russia " (Novorossiya), and suggested it should never have become part of Ukraine. The separatists then began attempting to create a new entity called " Novorossiya ".
  
  In response, on 15 April the interim Ukrainian government launched an " Anti-Terrorist Operation " (ATO); however, Ukrainian forces were poorly prepared, and the operation soon stalled. Russian separatist commander Strelkov said that Ukrainian forces were "extremely cautious" at first, as they did not know how Russia would respond. By the end of April, Ukraine announced it had lost control of the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. It claimed to be on "full combat alert" against a possible Russian invasion and reinstated conscription to its armed forces. During May, the Ukrainian campaign focused on containing the separatists and positioning the military for a decisive offensive once Ukraine's mobilization had completed.
  
  As conflict between the separatists and Ukraine escalated in May, Russia began to employ a " hybrid approach", combining disinformation tactics, irregular fighters, regular Russian troops, and conventional military support. The First Battle of Donetsk Airport was the first between Ukrainian and separatist forces that involved large numbers of Russian "volunteers".: 15
  
  Petro Poroshenko won the Ukrainian presidential elections in May. The separatist groups held disputed referendums that month, which were not recognized by Ukraine or any other UN member state.
  
  On 5 July 2014, Ukrainian forces re-took Sloviansk and the pro-Russian forces retreated to Donetsk city. Russian commander Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin said that Donetsk was still relatively peaceful until then. He admitted responsibility for the shelling of the city by Ukrainian forces.
  
  On 17 July 2014, Russian-controlled forces killed 298 civilians when they shot down a passenger aircraft, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, as it was flying over eastern Ukraine. Investigations and the recovery of bodies began in the conflict zone as fighting continued.
  
  By the end of July, Ukrainian forces were pushing into cities, isolating Donetsk and attempting to restore control of the border. By 28 July, the strategic heights of Savur-Mohyla were under Ukrainian control, along with the city of Debaltseve, an important railroad hub. These Ukrainian successes threatened the existence of the DPR and LPR statelets, prompting Russian cross-border shelling targeting Ukrainian troops on their own soil, from mid-July onwards.