DISINFO: Donetsk and Luhansk proclaimed independence following Kyiv nationalist coup
SUMMARY
In 2014 Donetsk and Luhansk proclaimed independence following a violent coup in Kyiv led by nationalist groups and supported by Western governments
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in eastern Ukraine, claiming that the creation of DPR and LPR came as a response to the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv, often painted as a coup d'état, while claiming that local dwellers resisted alone without Russian military support and founded the DPR and LPR.
Firstly there was no coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014; this is a longstanding pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine's Euromaidan protests.
The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was not provoked from outside. It was rather a reaction from several segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013, after pressure from Russia.
Secondly, Ukraine is not at war with millions of people from Donetsk and Luhansk as pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets often like to portray it. The aim of these messages is to present the situation in eastern Ukraine as an internal conflict, ignoring irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in the region. These claims intentionally misrepresent the reality of Russia's direct and crucial important support to separatist militant groups in Eastern Ukraine.
The involvement of Russian personnel and equipment in the creation of the DPR and LPR has been well documented already for years. The destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea has been condemned by the Council of the European Union and led to restrictive measures since 2014.
Read similar cases claiming that Donetsk and Luhansk went independent due to the coup and that the US and EU organized a coup in Ukraine to overthrow legally elected government.