DISINFO: Ukraine systematically killed 13 thousand people in Donbas
SUMMARY
Where were all the countries and their publics for 8 years when the war was going on, and how was the killing of at least 13 000 people condemned during those years? For years Russia has been calling on the world community to take action against the systematic extermination of the population of Donbas.
We are talking about millions of people who lost loved ones every day and lived in basements hiding from bombardments. Now, not a single person in 'civilised countries' has turned up at a single demonstration in support of the devastated populations of Donetsk and Lugansk, or demanding an end to the bloodshed.
RESPONSE
Recurring Pro-Kremlin narrative presenting the eight-year-long conflict in Eastern Ukraine as a one-sided genocide, perpetrated by Ukraine. This narrative tries to deny the role of Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, and create a pretext for the invasion of the country.
There is no evidence to support these claims. The Ukrainian authorities did not systematically exterminate the people living in the conflict zone. The claimed 13 thousand dead people – military and civilian alike – are a result of a war that Russia started in Ukraine in February 2014. It was never an internal civil conflict, but a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces.
For eight years, Moscow illegally provided weapons to the separatists. This is a well-known fact, although Russia has denied it on multiple occasions and accused the US of selling weapons to Kyiv. Ukraine, on the other hand, did not conceal the military aid it received because it is legal and transparent.
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on multiple fronts, as footage, foreign correspondents, social media, local journalists and citizen witnesses have proven beyond any doubt.
Read more disinformation narratives about Ukraine allegedly perpetrating genocide against Russians. See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war.