The United Kingdom's Defence Ministry estimated in its latest intelligence report on the conflict in Ukraine issued on Friday that the integration of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) into Russia will likely represent a "large political, diplomatic, and financial cost" for Moscow.
The ministry assessed that such a burden "will last well beyond the current phase of the conflict." It went on to claim that Russia has controlled parts of those two territories by installing army corps there since 2014 and that the regions have since been "a significant drain" on the Eurasian country's finances.
Despite the ceasefire Russian President Vladimir Putin called for to take place on January 6 and 7, air alerts have been announced in several regions of Ukraine earlier today.
