DISINFO: What is happening in the Donbas today is a genocide
SUMMARY
According to our assessment, what is happening in the Donbas today is genocide. Moreover, human rights are massively violated in Ukraine and there is discrimination against the Russian-speaking population.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying the Ukrainian leadership as pathologically Russophobic and bent on subjecting the country's Russian-speaking population to "genocide."
Ever since the conflict broke out in 2014, pro-Kremlin coverage of this issue has been characterised by the liberal use of the term "genocide," taken to mean the Ukrainian government's alleged treatment of the non-government controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.
There is no evidence that either ethnic Russians or Russian speakers are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities, 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.
For an overview of the Kremlin's deployment of the "genocide" narrative regarding Ukraine, see further debunking by EUvsDisinfo, Euromaidan Press, and POLYGRAPH.info.
Read our recent articles on 7 myths of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the Russian military buildup near Ukraine, and Kremlin fabricated pretexts for further invasion to Ukraine. Read also more disinformation cases claiming that Ukraine is planning provocations in Donbas.