DISINFO: Special operation aims to protect Donbas population
SUMMARY
The Russian special military operation, which began on February 24, 2022, aims to protect the population of Donbas, who have been persecuted and subject to genocide by the Kyiv regime for years.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine and the alleged genocide of ethnic Russians in Ukraine. The genocide claim and narrative has been an integral part of the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign aiming to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
By repeating this claim, the pro-Kremlin outlets also seeks to deflect attention away for the atrocities committed by Russian troops in their invasion of Ukraine.
The idea that Ukraine is committing genocide against its own population is promoted by Vladimir Putin in his speeches. 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 any ethnic nationals, including 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.
Leaders of the European Union recognised that Moscow's actions should be evaluated as “acts of violence and the violation of international law”.
See similar cases alleging that the Russian special operation protects people from genocide and persecution, that"in 2014 genocide against Russians began in Ukraine" and "Ukraine has legalised genocide against its citizens".