Russia Ukraine war, page-38209

Okays the ethnic Russian cleansing policy.

There was no 'ethnic Russian cleansing policy'. There are ethnic Russians in Ukraine, but there are also Russian speaking Ukrainians. Russia is a commonly used language in Ukraine, and this makes sense when you consider the cultural genocide the Russians practiced across centuries in Ukraine with prohibitions against the use of the Ukrainian language. Would you claim that a Maori person in New Zealand is actually of wholely English ethnicity if they only speak English? Such a claim would be absurd, yet is the one you seek to make as regards Russian speaking Ukrainians.

There was an insurgency in Ukraine in 2014 which was kicked off by Igor Girkin and other Russian operatives who crossed into Ukraine to foment war. These so-called separatists were bolstered by Russian nationalist and neo-nazi militia who entered Ukraine to futher the aims of Putins 'Novorossiya' project. It was always the intention of the insurgents / Russian state to carve a 'Novorossiya' (New Russia) out of the Donetsk Basin and Southern Ukraine. Russian Federation army units were also sent to the Donbas when the insurgency faltered. What we are seeing now is just the attempt to fulfill the 'Novorossiya' project with ever increasing Russian involvement. The final stanza has been this invasion with the full weight of the Russia armed forces.

The attempt to smear Ukraine as having engaged in the ethnic cleansing of Russian speakers in the Donbas is a disgusting slur. It ignores the fact that none of this would be taking place if it had not been kicked off by Girkin in 2014 on the direction of the Kremlin. Ukraine has no reason to want to kill Russian speaking Ukrainians, rather, it has sought to fight the 'insurgents' who cynically and coldly positioned their artillery in civilian populated areas. I do not doubt that there has been collateral damage along the way but there was never a systematic plan to engage in a mass killing of Russian speaking Ukrainians. Ukraine has tried to keep its sovereign territory, as any country would.

If you look at cities like Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, these places were living in absolute peace and tranquility prior to the brutal Russian invasion. Pro-Putin posters have made the claim that the inhabitants of Donbas cities are now 'happier' because the Russians have invaded. These are absurd and shameful things that are being said. The inhabitants of the Donbas are either dead, or homeless refugees, or have been conscripted as cannon fodder for Putins war. The initial insurgency in 2014 was met with a very tepid response by Donbas inhabitants, and I don't think Putin has ever forgiven them. If you want to look for genocide and cleansing, look at what is happening in the Donbas now. Look at what is happening to the inhabitants, with the wholesale destruction of their lives and homes and work places, and their cruel use by Putin as conscripted militia (cannon fodder). Donbas has been utterly destroyed, and no doubt Putin has a plan to repopulate it with settlers from Russia. He certainly does not want it populated by Russian speaking Ukrainians who are of dubious loyalty to his regime.