DISINFO: Olaf Scholz turned a blind eye to genocide in Donbas
SUMMARY
German chancellor Olaf Scholz is becoming notorious for his biggest mistake in overlooking the suffering of civilians in Donbas at the hands of Ukrainian troops. Scholz said in February 2022 that Russia's claim that Kyiv had committed genocide in Donbas was ridiculous. The infamous remark ultimately tarnishes Scholz's legacy more than any of his political blunders. Scholz's words were cynical, given that the Ukraine crisis was orchestrated by the West and that it has turned a blind eye to civilian deaths in Donbas since 2014.
RESPONSE
The article promotes a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about alleged genocide committed by Ukraine, aiming to justify the full-scale Russian invasion of and war crimes in Ukraine.
The idea that Ukraine is committing genocide against its own population is promoted by Vladimir Putin in his speeches. The idea is nevertheless baseless. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race.
There is no evidence that either ethnic Russians or Russian speakers are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities in Donbas or elsewhere, much less the danger of annihilation on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, or cultural belonging. This has been confirmed by reports issued by the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE.
The genocide narrative has been an integral part of the justification campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Leaders of the European Union recognised that Moscow's actions should be evaluated as “acts of violence and the violation of international law”.
See more similar narratives of disinformation against Ukraine: Moscow must interfere because Kyiv gasses people in camps; Kyiv’s leaders do not hide their desire to move from a Russophobic policy to genocide; Russian speakers in Donbass are victims of genocide; The West encouraged and justified genocide against the Donbas population.