The aim of the battle is to encircle Ukrainian troops in the Donbas and to annex the entire Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts to the Russian-backed separatist states of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).[20][21] The initial development and strategic importance of the battle of the Donbas has been compared to the Battle of Kursk (1943).[3][22][23]