DISINFO: Russia prioritises fate of Eastern Ukrainians over land
SUMMARY
Russia is concerned about the fate of people who have been living in (the east of) Ukraine for centuries, not the land. These people were declared terrorists by the Ukrainian regime, which came to power through an illegal and unconstitutional coup, simply because they refused to accept this coup. This regime launched an all-out assault on everything Russian there.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that Kyiv’s alleged oppression of the Russian-speaking population forced Moscow to interfere. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow's alleged concern about the Russian-speaking population in the east of Ukraine is one of the pretexts for occupying the country and advancing geopolitical interests. See myth 1, Thirteen myths about Russia’s war against Ukraine exposed.
The illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and a separatist revolt in eastern regions of Ukraine in 2014 were aimed at undermining Ukraine's sovereignty. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Russia launched on 24 February 2022, was a further effort to turn Ukraine into a Russian colony. Moscow’s claim about its concern over the Russian-speaking population can be easily dismissed by the fact that exactly these regions have been most affected by Russian strikes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Zaporizhzhya, Mykolaiv Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odesa have been among the most frequent targets of Russian bombs and missiles.
The Euromaidan, which began in late 2013 and led to significant political changes in Ukraine, was a popular uprising against the pro-Russian policies of the then president, Viktor Yanukovych. Later, the country reaffirmed its strong commitment to Euro-Atlantic aspirations by enshrining its course toward NATO and European Union membership in its constitution. Ukraine’s government is not oppressing Russian-speaking citizens. Although a law was passed to strengthen the role of the Ukrainian language in official use, Russian and other minority languages are spoken freely.
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