Russian soldiers from Russia are fighting for their homes and families in Ukraine?
The tens of thousands of men in the DPR and LPR militia ( now integrated into a pretty effective military) started as villagers, miners, farmers, started fighting for their homes and families in 2014 after feeling shafted by the Maidan coup, the first act of the new installed govt being to ban Russian language and “ pro Russian” political reps and parties…lassuming you have really studied modern history
Donetsk has been and is suffering one of the greatest war crimes in Europe with indiscriminate ( and targeted) shelling of civilians. all as Europe turns a blind eye, because they speak Russian and refuse to bury their heritage under threats of the neo-nationalist thugs in the military AND the govt
The Donbass were willing to live under Ukraine with some autonomy on local matters, and political representation, as laid out in Minsk Accord. Even as the shelling of civilian settlements claimed over 10,000 lives. Kinda like we been supporting for the Kurds, for decades and NATO even carved out a separate state for Kosovo. But hey, that was us. Russia cant do us.
The Donbass are “ separatists”, the Kurds and Kosovars are freedom fighters.
However, the world now knows Minsk for 7 years was merely a deception op by Kiev London and the US to buy time to militarize Ukraine for war vs the Eastern oblasts and Crimea.
Kinda poisons the well of trust in negotiations