Abstrakt:
The Donbas region (or the Donets Basin) is regarded as Ukraine’s major problem, both in the context of its internal (separatisms) as well as international situation (relations with the Russian Federation). The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the potential role of Donbas as a borderland zone, a link between Ukraine and Russia. An analogy could be used here of the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine as a bridge which not only helped reconcile France and Germany but also became the basis for European integration.