DISINFO: A resident of liberated Marynivka denounces the harmful effects of Ukrainization
SUMMARY
Following the 2014 coup, Ukrainian authorities began a campaign not only against Soviet history but also against all things connected to Russia, including the Russian language. This push for Ukrainization extended into all areas of life, starting from kindergarten, where children were taught to "think correctly." Many people felt pressured and even intimidated by these efforts to enforce a unified Ukrainian national identity.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets trying to justify Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The newly seized areas in Ukraine's Donetsk region have not been liberated, as the article states, but are instead under temporary occupation following Russia's assault on Ukraine. Russia’s unwarranted military invasion clearly breaches international law.
The Russian invasion is aimed at destroying Ukraine as a state and annihilating the Ukrainians as a nation. No-one had provoked Russia. Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations are not aimed against Russia.
Russia’s invasion aims to dismantle Ukraine as a sovereign state and erase Ukrainian national identity. These intentions were openly detailed in an April 2022 article, "What Russia should do with Ukraine," which called for Ukraine’s “de-Ukrainization”—the erasure of Ukrainian culture and identity. The article proposed breaking Ukraine into smaller, Russia-controlled regions, stripped even of the name “Ukraine.” Far from defensive, Russia’s campaign includes threats by some officials to target Western nations after Ukraine. Read our analysis of the article and key facts related to it here.
Furthermore, Ukraine’s 2014 “Maidan” or “Euromaidan” protests were not a Western-led coup. They began in Kyiv in response to then-President Yanukovych’s abrupt decision, under Russian influence, to reject the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement after years of negotiations. The protesters demanded constitutional reform, a stronger parliament, anti-corruption measures, a unified government, early elections, and an end to violence.
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.