He’s at it again. yesterday he said “The West and Kyiv [this is his way of saying America and Ukraine] are ‘forgetting that Ukraine started the war in 2014 when they used tanks and aviation against the peaceful population of Donbas.”
Before I completely destroy this psychotic propaganda, I will remind you that Putin-supporting Americans, especially Trump supporters, say that same exact thing anytime they are confronted with the fact that Putin is a murderous dictator who has unjustly invaded Ukraine. They almost used the same exact words. Where do you think they got those words? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they got them directly from Vladimir Putin propaganda.
Here’s the truth:
What Really Happened in Donbas in 2014
1. The War Did Not Start with Ukraine Using Tanks and Aviation Against Civilians
- The conflict in Donbas began in early 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea and supported armed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russian paramilitaries and equipment, along with covert Russian military support, played a central role in sparking and sustaining the war.
- Russia backed the breakaway movements with troops, tanks, and artillery. Ukrainian forces responded with a military operation starting in April 2014.
- The initial violence was therefore initiated by Russia-backed separatists and Russian forces—not by Ukraine using heavy weapons on peaceful civilians.
2. No Credible Evidence of Ukraine Using Tanks or Aviation Against “Peaceful” People
- There is no reliable, independent evidence that Ukraine used tanks or aviation to deliberately attack peaceful civilians in Donbas. Instead, Ukraine directed its operations primarily against armed separatists and Russian proxy forces.
- Civilian casualties, while tragic, were largely the result of the broader war dynamic, not a targeted campaign by Ukraine against civilians.
3. Russia’s Genocide Claim Is Widely Rejected
- Putin has repeatedly alleged that Ukraine committed “genocide” against Russian-speaking populations in Donbas. These allegations have been thoroughly debunked.
- The International Court of Justice, the OSCE observers, and over 300 genocide scholars found no evidence to support claims of genocide.
- The consensus among international observers is that these accusations constitute disinformation—used as a pretext to justify Russia’s aggression.
4. Putin’s Claim Reflects a Propaganda Narrative, Not Facts
- Russian state narratives consistently frame Ukraine and the West as aggressors or puppets, aiming to distort reality and excuse Russian actions.
- Putin himself, in other remarks, has framed the conflict as ending an alleged Ukrainian-initiated aggression—but these positions are not supported by facts.
- Independent accounts trace the root of the conflict to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and Russian-backed armed destabilization of eastern Ukraine—not Ukrainian military provocation.