In August of 2014 this battle marks a turning point in Russia’s war against Ukraine
After the Euromaidan some Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the Donbas area turned to violence as a political means. They followed the narrative of “Nazis in Kyiv” which was officially held by Putin and the Kremlin. The called the Euromaidan events a US coup and wanted to become part of Russia, as modelled by the Krim. They took charge of police stations and government buildings and formed militias.
When the Ukrainian government was re-established after new elections had taken place and the Ukrainian army started to restore law and order in that part of Ukraine, the battle of Ilovais marked the turning point, where support from Russia was upped by actual Russian soldiers under cover and many nationalists coming to the aid of the Russian-speaking Ukrainian insurgents. You can see on the map below where the city of Ilovaisk is situated – in the East of Donezk and how important it would have been to have the city back under the control of the Ukrainian government.
From now on the Ukrainian army suffered losses and what could have been a quick restoration of law and order became a hybrid war of many years, which eventually led to a full-scale invasion of Russia, with the declared goal of “ending the Ukrainian state.”