DISINFO: Ukraine is a non democratic and Russophobic state
SUMMARY
Ukraine became a country of repression and censorship. Euromaidan and the civil war in the southeast of Ukraine is the bloodiest page in the country's recent history. People are still dying because of the armed conflict in southeastern Ukraine. Hatred towards the residents of Donbas, who are exposed as enemies, is purposely formed among Ukrainian youth. The aggressive minority propagate Russophobia, murders, and calls to cleanse the Donbas of Russians, even of those who were born and raised there. Ukraine is not a democratic state. It is democratic only on paper and in statements made by Western politicians.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign against Ukraine, containing multiple disinformation narratives regarding Euromaidan, war in Ukraine, and Russophobia in Ukraine. The disinformation is designed to sow discord among the different groups of citizens in Ukraine, trying to portray Kyiv’s recent attempts to diminish Russia’s influence in Ukraine as an assault on democracy.
The recent actions of the Ukrainian government (legal action against pro-Kremlin opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk or closing three opposition TV channels, language policy) have nothing to do with what pro-Kremlin media and politicians call infringements on democracy. These are only Ukrainian attempts to finally get rid of Russian influence (for example, the concepts of "Russian world", "One nation", Crimea is Russian, the claim that Ukraine is the second state of the Russian people, military intervention, hybrid war and continuous undermining Ukrainian statehood) and continue its pro-Western course.
EU and US officials often visit Kyiv for talks at various levels to discuss human rights in Ukraine and ways to improve the situation. Ukraine’s human rights record, albeit often criticised, is much better than those of some other ex-Soviet neighbours (read here and here).
Ukraine is not an anti-Russian country. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Russia established diplomatic relations and signed a number of important treaties. On 31 May 1997, the countries signed a comprehensive Friendship Treaty. As a result, Russia recognised Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also recognised that Crimea belongs to Ukraine but violated the treaty in 2014 when Russia occupied and illegally annexed Crimea.
Ukraine is not a Russophobic country. It had to react to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas.
There is no civil war in Ukraine. The war in eastern Ukraine is actually a well-documented case of Russian armed aggression. The EU has repeatedly condemned the clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since February 2014, and the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia.
The Ukrainian government does not cultivate hatred against the residents of Donbas or Russians. Ukraine continues to stress that Donbas is a part of Ukraine and that the residents of temporally occupied territories are citizens of Ukraine.