Were the residents of Donbass genocide from Ukraine?

The Kremlin has repeatedly talked about the genocide of Russians in the Donbass by Kyiv, and Russian President Vladimir Putin used this as the basis for entering troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022. We found out whether what is happening in the Donbass falls under the definition of genocide.

In his own handling About the beginning of the military operation in the Donbass, Vladimir Putin used the term “genocide” twice. At first he noted that "it was necessary to immediately stop this nightmare - genocide in relation to millions of people who hope only for Russia." Then saidthat the purpose of the “special military operation” is the protection of people who “have been inhibited for eight years, genocide from the Kyiv regime”.

Back in 2015, when gas supplies to Donbass were interrupted, Putin saidthat "smacks of genocide." In 2019, he predicted The mass massacre of ethnic Russians on the scale of the massacre in Srebrenitsa when the Bosnian Serbs Killed About 8,000 men and boys from Muslim families. In 2021 Putin again declaredthat the conflict in the Donbass "looks like genocide." And the speaker of the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova continued this topic in 2022, Name West accomplice of the genocide.

A brief statement of the analysis

1. The armed conflict in the Donbass does not fit the strict legal definition of genocideestablished by the UN Convention in 1948.
2. International organizations, which include Russian observers, did not find a single evidence of the intentional extermination of civilians Donbass.
3. Over the past six years The victims among the civilian population were relatively small (on average 59 people a year in 2016–2021 against 954 and 2084 in 2015 and 2014)which does not comply with Russia's statements about massacres or predictions about the "mass massacre".
4. The Russian government relied on false or unverified information To prove the genocide.

The President of Russia himself urged to carefully handle the term "Genocide", speaking of the Donbass. “Here you need to act very carefully so as not to devalue these concepts.” He said Putin in December 2021.

1. Determination of genocide

UN Convention on 1948 Genocide Determines The term “genocide” as “actions committed with the intention of destroying (completely or partially) any national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such.” Judicial interpretation of the term "Genocide" implies The exceptionally deliberate physical destruction of the group, and not an encroachment on its existence in the form of persecution of cultural traditions or “ethnic purge”.

Politicians and historians recognizeIt is extremely difficult to present irrefutable evidence of the committing of a genocide, and therefore, to make charges of genocide. Individual guilt of the accused must be proved. Moreover, it is necessary to prove the intention to commit a genocide-for example, the fact of a call for the destruction of a minority.

2. The reasons for the death of civilians in the Donbass

It would be difficult for the Ukrainian authorities to hide the large -scale program for the extermination of the Russian population: since 2014, the conflict zone has been closely attention. In addition to journalists and ordinary citizens with accounts on social networks, in Donetsk and Lugansk regions Work About 600 observers of the OSCE special monitoring mission from more than 40 countries, including Russia. For eight years of work, representatives of the OSCE Not found Not a single evidence of the systematic killings of civilians in the Donbass.

Of the 3393 dead, 58% suffered from mines and unexploded ammunition. By certificates International observers, usually the inhabitants themselves provoked an explosion - sometimes by negligence when trying to cleanse, and sometimes during the extraction of units of ammunition for surrender to scrap metal. Such victims can hardly be called victims of the genocide. Besides often It is difficult to determine which of the parties were laid mines or artillery shells were released. “Who launched a projectile here, where, when - nothing is known, there are no witnesses,” - They say The locals themselves.

3. The number of dead civilians in the Donbass

Putin spoke about the genocide regarding the "millions of people" living in the Donbass. By data The UN Monitoring Mission to Human Rights in Ukraine, for almost eight years of conflict in the east of Ukraine, 3393 civilians died. At the same time, Russian and Ukrainians turned out to be approximately the same amount, which contradicts Putin's claims about the extermination of the Russian population. By the way, the UN Refused In the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933, the recognition of the Genocide against the Ukrainian people precisely because not only ethnic Ukrainians, but also Russians and Kazakhs became victims.

If an eight -year -old genocide took place in the Donbass, most likely the number of victims would not decrease over the years. Nevertheless, 89.5% of the victims among the civilian population were in the first year and a half of the conflict (3038 people). Since the beginning of 2016, the number of victims began to decline sharply. In 2021, 18 dead were recorded.

4. Insolvent evidence of genocide

February 17, 2022 Ambassador of Russia to the United States Anatoly Antonov He called it The situation in the Donbass by the genocide, referring to the shelling of residential quarters with Ukrainian troops and "mass burials of almost 300 peaceful citizens near Lugansk, who died only because they considered Russian their native language."

In 2014, before the conclusion agreements About the ceasefire, Lugansk was an epicenter of fierce battles. Died More than 500 people - Russians and Ukrainians, military personnel and civilians - from the shells of separatists and government forces. Many bodies in mass burials were not identified. Therefore, Antonov’s assertion of 300 Russians killed by Ukrainians for nationality and language is unproven.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Alexei Chepa Argumented Russian genocide in the Donbass in that “people do not pay salaries, they are isolated, they do not allow to develop economically, overlap water, electricity.” Also Putin Compared With the genocide, the termination of Ukraine supply to the Donbass and the ban on the Russian language.

As we have already mentioned, neither the persecution of cultural traditions, nor “ethnic purges”, nor the cases of infringement of Russians in the Donbass described by Russian politicians fall under the generally accepted and legally designed definition of genocide.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Fakes about what is happening in Ukraine
2. Is it true that the United States promised Gorbachev not to expand NATO east?
3. Is it true that Vladimir Lenin created Ukrainian statehood?
4. Report of the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine in numbers: 6 years, 1300 interviews, 1280 court sessions and 3,300 court decisions
5. The UN Secretary General denied Putin's allegation about genocide in the Donbass