The Ukrainian Civil War is a conflict that lasted from 17 January to 9 August 2015. It was an extension of the War in Donbass, which was an attempt by the Ukrainian government of President Petro Poroshenko to clamp down on the rebellious regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which proclaimed themselves to be an independent state known as the Federal Republic of Novorossiya. In January 2015, a major Ukrainian government offensive occurred, and Poroshenko backed out of the peace talks taking place in Minsk. However, the demoralized and poorly trained Ukrainian army was defeated by the rebels, who began advancing into the rest of Ukraine. The leadership of Novorossiya decided that it needed to liberate Ukraine from its current regime, which it labeled as being an American puppet government. Russia