On 5 September 2014, an agreement on immediate ceasefire was signed in Minsk, Belarus. It was an outcome of peace negotiations conducted with representatives of Ukraine, Russia, self-proclaimed republics and the OSCE.

The protocol of negotiations featured provisions on the unconditional release of prisoners of war, the decentralization of some regions, and the withdrawal of mercenaries, illegal armed units and military equipment from the country. It was agreed that local elections would be held in parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, under the Ukrainian law on the special mode of operation of local government in these oblasts. Compliance with the ceasefire was to be monitored by the OSCE. However, the main beneficiary of these negotiations turned out to be Russia, which improved its reputation by morphing from an aggressor into a peace talks participant seeking stabilization in the region.

In the same month when the agreement was signed in Minsk, fierce fighting began at the Donetsk airport, which lasted almost until the end of January 2015. Ultimately, the Ukrainians lost the fight for the airport, which as such had been repeatedly questioned in view of the damage that would have rendered it unusable anyway. Still, the fighting forged the myth of a persistent Ukrainian serviceman, who, without sleep and despite fatigue, perseveres at the post. The defenders of Donetsk airport were dubbed Cyborg Warriors.

The situation in the Donbas in early 2015 was unfavourable for Ukraine. The defence of the airport was part of a broader operation to defend the strategically important Debaltseve communication hub. However, the separatists, with the support of units from the Russian Federation, the state that had wanted to be seen as a peacemaker in Minsk, took over both Debaltseve and the Donetsk airport.

Photo: Independence Avenue in Minsk. Photo by A.Savin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.