uy ] Residents in Donbas have been subjected to genocide Locale:en-US The Myth ‘The Uitainian amy ie commiting genocide against the mostly Russan-speaking ‘population In easter andl southern Ukraine Ukraine launches ful-sealehostities ‘nthe region, Russia wll be forced ta protect ts citizens, The Facts ‘few wooks after Rusia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Penineula folowing the 2014 ‘ouster of Moscow: trendly president Viktor Yanukowych by a popular uprising in the capital of Kieu a separatist confict erupted inthe eastem ragion of Donbes. In Apriland May 2014, Russian-backed separatists seized government bullings in ‘the mostly Russion-speaking provinces of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk. A pro- Ausstan, anti-government group calling itself the Donbas People's Miia soon ‘emerged, and attempts by Ukrainians law enforcement to reestablish control were ‘thwarted bythe pro-Russian forces. The situation n the east deteriorated quickly Into violence and by April 2014, the Ukranian government launched what i called an “anti-terror operation,” deploying its armed forces to Donetskand Lugansk according toa November 2016 report fy the International Criminal Court. That same ‘month, the Uksainian government sad it was noonger null contra of Donetsk anc Luhansk, and warned thatthe country was on Tull combat alert” Since then fighting ‘between Ukrainian armed forces and Russla-backed separatisishas killed more than 1,000 people, including approximately 3,000 civilians in Ukraine, according tothe fice of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Following referendums held on May 1), 2014, that were deemed illegitimate bythe Ltsainian government, People’s Republics claimed independence from Ukraine. The selt-proclaimed ‘epublies also appeated tobe incorporated into the Russin Federation. They remain spresentatives ofthe self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk unrecognised by almost all states including Russa. However, Russiahas provided the self-proclaimed republics with military, economic, and political support In 2019, usean President Viadimie Putin signed a decree eimpiying the esuance of Russian passports to Bonbas residents ‘Since Fighting broke out between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army in Apri 2014, the Russian-state media has claimed thatthe Ukrainian army ie committing genocide in the predominantly Russian-speaking east where many c’ethole Russlens tue, n December 2021, the Russian state-mecia and Putin repeated Subject Tags Russia Uncaine Genoese Russian ainformation Sesreh Terms DDonbas (OR Donotet) AND genocide Ukraine AND genocide Gancctss AND Russophobis (genocide AND “sastern Ukraine Keywords anaes ukraine ‘igenocide stoutiknsws.com (en-US) ‘2s8.c0m (e0-US)such claims. The situation in Donbas certainly looks like genocide," Putin sai, ‘Tne claim began to gain currency after an etic published in September 2014 by ‘Russa state-owned media outlet Rossiskaye Gazeta claimed that a Latvian political activist, Enars Grausins, had dicovered “a mats grave where more than 400 bodies of civilians and executed militiamen were found State-mediaand Russian officials sed the claim as evidence that the Ukrainian army hag committed war crimes, A separate report by state-run news agency A Nevostl about the same clam, Coriginaly titled “OSCE [the Organization for Secunty and Co-operation in Europe) ‘Expert: 400 Bodies Found in Gravesites Near Donetsk." stated “The Russian Foreign Ministry botioves that there are very serious sign’ to bliove that security Forces ‘rom the National Guard may be involved nthe kings of evans” During a press conference in October, 2014, Russian Foreign Minister Serget Lavrov echoed the reports, describing the mass graves as “vidence of war crimes” committed bythe Ubeainian army, Infact, Rossiskaya Gazeta had misrepresented Gaudin's statement; ne sald that ‘there were about 400 unicentifies bodies in the morguas of Donetsk He didnot say thatthe bodies were in newly discovered graves, nor di he specity who they ‘wore. "At the present time, inthe morgues of Donetsk alone there are 400 Lnidentined boas,” Gaudin sat, ‘Meanwhil, Aloksandt Zakharchonko, then-prime minister of the DPR, sic now ‘raves beIng discovered by Russian-backed separatists contain thelr fellow gnters Cor Ukrainian solciars*and“it snot aluaysa question ofthe graves af civilians.” [Additionally the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said ina “Tuattor post in October 2014 that Graudins had no Iinkto tho OSCE, Gravains had sited the graves as part ofa group of elght human rights experts who accompanied (OSCE, buthe never worked forthe ganizations, according to Radho Free EuropelRadio Liberty, aUS-funded news outlet In 2014, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights investigated ‘three bua sites that had been reterredto by the Donetsk People's Republe as mass, ‘raves. The UN body reported in November 2014 that i identifiad one grave ‘containing Five bodes and two.graves containing two bodies each. The report si ‘not mention gonocide. ‘The kiov-bated fact-checking organization StopFake reported in 2015 thatthe head ofits unit focused on the Americas, Europe and Contal Asia said the agency has "no data on the location of mass graves which would alow us to report on this | accordance with the ula, as well as to ensure the preservation of evidence for access by experts, We inquired about where such burial sites might be located, but ‘goto reply" In 2014, Amnesty International sak it dtd not fed any competing evidence of mass tangs or graves" during research that it conducted in Donbas in 2014 tt said “What we have soon aresolated incidents of summary executions that in somecases constitute war crimes." Amnesty found evidence implicating Kiev-backod forcos in ‘the extrajudicial executions of four men aswell as evidence that Russian-backed separatists were also Involved n execution-style and other deliberate kilings of four people.‘Reports bythe Intemational Criminal Cour andthe Office of the UN High ‘Commissioner for Human Rights also contradict claims thatthe Ukrainian army cearead out mass kilings of residents in eastern Ukraine, A November 2016 report by the ICC found that fighting involved "the use of military weaponry by both sides I saidthat between April 2014 and June 2036, up t0 2,000 ellans were iled during ‘the conflict, mostly (85 percent to 90 percent) as. recut of sheng in both ‘government-controled territory and areas controlled by armed groups. ‘The Office ofthe UN High Commissloner for Human Rights recorded 24.cases ‘concerning alleged executions and kilings of $8 civilians, who were not taking part in ‘hostilities, n 2014 and 2016, that allegedly implicated pro-Russlan armed groups of tho slr proclaimed republics, 2s well as pro-Ukzanian armed groups ana the Ukrainian SBU. The International Criminal Court said that intensified fighting ‘between 2014 and 2015 was attributed to “alleged corresponding influxes of Loops, \veniles ane wespenry from the Russian Feseration ta reinforce the positions cf the armed groups” ‘Tae ICC found thatthe acts of violence allegedly committed by the Ukrainian authorities in 2015 and 2014 could constitute an“attack directed against a civilian ‘population "However, als said that "The information availabe didnot provide 8 ‘reasonable bass to believe that the attack was systematic or widespread." ICC and ‘the Office ofthe UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports onthe human rights stuation in Ukraine dic not mention a systematic attack by Ukrainian authorities against civilians in the country’s east, ‘Another story uldely reported in March 2018 by Russian state-media, nchding RIA- [Novost! and RussiaToday, claimed thataten year-old gi was killed during shelling ‘bythe Ukrainian Army in Donetsk, citing Eduard Basurn, then-Defense Minster of tho selr-proclsimed Donetsk People’s Republic. A month ater, the BEC published 2 short documentary featuring Interviews with residents in Donetsk about the story. The locals interviewed al said they had not heard ofthe event, nor had they heard the shelling that was supposed to havekillad the gi. The local morgue sad it had never handled her body. The BBC alco intervawod a Russian Journalist who originally ‘reported the stor, according to the BBC. The man, whose entity the BBC ad not isclose, confirmed thatthe gil never existed and said: “We hed, to broadcast it "the ‘BBC reported In duly 2014, the Russian state-owned Channel One ‘Pervy Kanal") festured an Interiow with a woman named Galina Pyshniak who claimed that she witnessed ‘members of the Ukrainian army publicly crucity three-year-old boy in Lenin Square Inthe town of Stowansk wile they ted his mother to tank and dragged her around the square until she died. Slowansk had been flashpoint of conflict between the Uteainian army and pro- Russian insurgents, who had selzedit in April 2044. ‘Tne Uttarian government recaptured Slowanskin July tho same year.A day aftor {Channel One pubiished its interview with Pyshniak, Novaya Gazeta an independent Russian nav outlet, visited Slowansk to speak with residents about herclaims. [None ofthe interviewees featured in the Channel One report backed Pyshniaks allegations. The residents said things ike “nothing Ike thishappened" and thatthe claims were "100% tes" and “nonsense”In December, 2014, Russia's Channel One reported: “The journalists didnot have and {donot have evidence ofthis tragedy, but this ta eal story of atea-ife woman who ‘escaped trom hellinSloviansk* The channel added there was “no way to confirm or ony this information Injate Docember 2021 and early 2022, tensions escalated over Ukraine, Putin and ‘the Russian state-run medio reiterated claims thatthe situation i Donbas resembles ‘genacide. On Dee. 8, 2021, Putin sald during a meeting with Russia's Presidential ‘Human Rights Councit "Ihave to say that Russophobia sais stp towards ‘genocide. You and know what is happening in Donbas. It certainly Iooks ko genocide” Infact, 2021 Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report blamed tho authortis of the Donetsk and Lugansk public for various abuses, including severe restrctions on the freedom of movement, forcing Russian ottizenship, refusing expert access to detainees, and arbitrary arrests. At the same time, the UN, reported throe cases of arbitrary detainment and il-treatment carried out by train's SBU (secret servic), and 7 such casos inthe slf-proclaimed republics, ‘hin the UN said were "usualy" carried our bythe ministry of state secur officers, known as MCB. ‘According to the European Council on Foreign Relations an international think tank, ‘the MGB is hooded by Russian FSB officers. The UN documented 62 Cluttan casualties, including 14 deaths in the stt-proclaimed republics and the ‘governmant-controed part of Donetsk The major of these dasths occurrectin the self-proclaimed republics asa result of mine-reated incidents and the hancing of ‘explosive romnants of war, according to the report, whicht made no mention of enacide, ‘Matthew Kupfer and Thomas de Wea, fellows at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a nonpartisan Inexnational affairs think-tank weotein 2014 that the word “genocide has become a“latmetit” in the Russian-Ukranian isi ‘Kupfer and de Waa’ repert concluded! that “pro-Russian separatists know that they «aro challonging the status quo and the international oor, which places thom ata ‘tsadvantage," By accusing the Kiev government of genocide “they present their actions not asa test choice but ae the ast resort os peomle trying to protect ts fundamental human rights" they wrote, Variations of this Myth ‘Moc than 400 eluians and mi lamen were executed by the Ukrainian army and buried in mass graves near Donetsk. ‘Aton yoar-ola gi was kiled during sheling bythe Ukranian army in Donetsk in 2018, In 2014, members ofthe Ukrainian army publicly crucified a three-year-old in Lenin ‘Square in the town of SlowyanakExamples of this Myth tps comlop-ed!I70588-us-export-guidelines-genoctde! nttpeiitass comiworld37489 “putin omphaszed that Rssophoba asthe ft stepto genocide. Te head of state noted ‘that itrequves cot ction eo tat theee notions font Govalue” However, nhs woes, {thenetions shoul ect the realty of whats happening athe moment” P Siaie-Contrled Sousce netpswnyoutube com/ateh’v=K.mTxCwumad PF state-contated Source netpsiitalrt.commimslukraines-retugeest PF state-conteted Source nttpsfsputmikneus.com/20211208\putin-what-is-happening-in-donbass-resemble 5-2-genacide-1081596012:ntm! 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