“It was Kyiv, and not Moscow that attacked Donbas!”, “There are no Russian soldiers in Donbas!”, “We are independent states!” Here are the facts – this is how the pseudo-authorities in the parts of Ukraine not under the control of the government like to describe the events of the last five years. Moreover, Russian hybrid forces do their utmost to ensure that children and young adults perceive the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as their legitimate homeland and the militants as their heroes.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
RFE/RL: 5 years of war in Donbas – separating facts from fiction
A photo taken on Nov. 8, 2018 shows an advertising for the election campaign seen next to political posters on a street in Donetsk, Ukraine.
