Before or after the pro-Russian political party was forbidden? Let's assume people in Donbas voted that a lot, would seperatism be such a weird thing for them?
2. Why didn't Russia just clear out Donbas/Luhansk republics instead of the whole of Ukraine?
I dont know the Russian military's strategy decisions. But I think we can all agree the focus of this war is on the Donbas. The approach to Kiev seems to have been a diversion. Some expect a major push to Kiev in the coming weeks; some expect the peace deal (the Russian demands been pretty clear from the start) to be signed right before Kiev gets taken.
Do you think having a potential traitor party during war is good?
Where there many pro German parties during WW2 in countries that it attacked?
Please tell me how was Czeczen separatists treated in Russia? If Russia is so for separations of other nations let their own republics do the same.
If the biggest party before Maidan (30%) is forbidden as a "traitor party", can it be really called as such? Or was Ukraine before Maidan openly pro-Russian, and was the Kiev regime the traitors?
> Please tell me how was Czeczen separatists treated in Russia?
I cannot agree more. Not always separatists are allowed to separate. Even Spain had a episode of that recently.
Though, the pro-Russian crowd in Ukraine feels somewhat Russian, and Russia is sympathetic to them. If the Czeczens were entically chinese, their faith may also've been different.
BTW. If your president runs to another country and that country comes back with and army, what do you do? Oh, and before that that same president begs that other country to invade and bring peace. (and prime minister also fleds to that invading country, just before the invasion). Even Party of Regions removed Yanukovych from his members.
For westerners: in Ukraine one could have a special "note" that allowed voting in any "voting office" - this should be used only in special cases when you are not sure where you will be during the voting (normally you are assigned to vote in your home region). As one might guess it was used to do some shenanigans, like a bunch of miners from eastern parts where being driven to many votes with those special notes. No one checked if given person voted once, or ten times. And there were many buses with such people.
And Russia really cares about Russophiles, they made two regions separate from Georgia in 2008, and they did the same in Ukraine in 2014. Coincidentally it was at the time both of those countries started taking a Western turn (speaking about EU and NATO membership).
not back then, but they banned them in March during the war.
> Kiev government since 2014 also needs to be called out for the atrocities on the Donbas
1. Donbas separatists (backed by Russia + actual Russian forces) started the conflict. 2. Why didn't Russia just clear out Donbas/Luhansk republics instead of the whole of Ukraine?
I hope you live in Russia, it's perfect for you.