[Hiddigeigei]

"Civil war? WHAT civil war?"

Before Russia entered the conflict, the Russia-speaking part of Ukraine declared its independence and was attacked by the Azov Brigade; sort of like a civil war.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

“Before Russia entered the conflict, the Russia-speaking part of Ukraine declared its independence....”

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Every single timeline ever compiled refutes that claim. The FIRST thing that happened was that teams of soldiers dressed in Russian uniforms but without any identification, speaking Russian, and carrying Russian equipment, appeared in Crimea and the eastern provinces to take over government buildings and drive out Ukrainian troops.

https://newdailycompass.com/en/ukraine-the-8-year-invisible-war-in-donbass
https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/236800.pdf
https://www.cfr.org/timeline/ukraines-struggle-independence-russias-shadow
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26248275
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9476/CBP-9476.pdf

After the military occupations were fait accompli, the occupiers held “referendums” claiming to validate the annexation of territory by Russia. Nobody with more than three brain cells took them seriously. (The ballots in Crimea had two choices: a.)Annexation now, or b.)Annexation a few months from now.) The fact that the majority of people living in the eastern provinces prior to April 2014 were Ukrainians seems to have gotten lost in the propaganda fog as well.