Ukraine’s authorities may carry out a massive mop-up operation in the self-proclaimed Donbass republics causing much more deaths than in 2014, Director of the Russian Center for Current Policy Alexei Chesnakov told TASS on Monday.

Axar.az reports that "I would like to be wrong, but for some reason, I’m sure that at some moment Kiev will make a decision to launch a massive invasion of the territory controlled by people’s militias. First, that’s because sponsors from overseas have been actively inciting Ukraine into such steps. Second, there are enough mad people in Ukraine," Chesnakov noted.

According to the expert, the instigators have been calling to take cues from Croatia, which took control of the rebellious Serbian regions by force. "By the way, during those events, the Croatians killed both Serbs and also the UN contingent personnel. If this happens [in Donbass] there will be more much more deaths than during the 2014 Ukrainian war. But the final decision "in the Croatian way" is unlikely to happen," the expert stressed.

Like in 2014, Ukraine will be forced to peace and "they will again rub its nose into the Minsk agreements." "This will be good for Kiev. The events may develop further leading to the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic by Russia like this was with South Ossetia and Abkhazia after the risky undertaking by [former Georgian President Mikhail] Saakashvili," he said.