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Unfortunately for the Russians, the Ukrainians get a say as well and it is very clear that they do not consider themselves Russians, in fact they are willing to kill and die over this very point.
The Russians will be cruel because reality conflicts with what they have imagined it to be.
But in all honesty this explanation is not needed either way, the Russians will be callously brutal institutionally and commit random acts of cruelty individually, because that is an intrinsic component of the Russian way of war. My source for this claim is the past hundred years of Russian military history and the enduring hatred towards Russia from the various peoples who have come into conflict with them.
Well, this is definitely not true for Donbass or Melitopol.
Where we see both people who are ready to kill in order to NOT be Ukrainians and people who are generally loyal to the Russian government.
I would be interested to know which countries improved their opinion of each other after the war.
Did you read it on Grey Zone?
EDIT: you can argue about Donbass (never been there), especially LDNR. But I lived for a long period of time in a small town on the coast of Azov Sea, an hour-long drive from Melitopol, I generally know attitude of people there.
I left Lugansk in 2014. It is strange how someone does not understand that all the people there sincerely hate Ukrainians. And yes, the East of Ukraine has always been pro-Russian. Lviv raguli - of course not.
Do you think that this really can be said to apply now?
Don't know. For the last 6 years, I have interacted with Ukrainians only on 2ch, and even then rarely.
But I think that having the opportunity to choose and not being afraid of reprisals from the SBU, the majority in the east would prefer Russia. Russia is corny richer, less crime, better infrastructure and government, and no one would have to change either their culture or their language.
By the way, how people live in Donetsk and Luhansk now? Good? Did they benefit from all those oil money? I guess people like a former MMM conman made governor, or a former bank robber made military commander did. Can they express their position freely, and not to afraid of reprisals from MGB/FSB, or "podvals"? I guess it's Russia now, life should be great.
Did they benefit from the war started by Ukraine? Of course not.
But I see a lot of irony in the fact that in 2022 Ukrainians stopped thinking that cutting off gas, water and electricity is very funny.
Are you about that?
https://lb.ua/economics/2014/12/28/290814_donbass_zadolzhal_byudzhetu_bolee_1.html
Forcing Ukraine to pay for amenities it had to buy from Russia, and then had to transfer to Russian-occupied territories?
Also:
The occupying power has the duty to ensure that the adequate provision of food and medical supplies is provided, as well as clothing, bedding, means of shelter, other supplies essential to the survival of the civilian population of the occupied territory, and objects necessary for religious worship (GCIV Arts. 55, 58; API Art. 69).
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Luhansk ukrainophobe who rarely interacts with his former compatriots apart from on FSB controlled imageboard tells someone from Eastern Ukraine what's the general attitude of people there. Priceless.
Check the statistics?
Authoritarian government led by a 70-year old KGB completely detached from reality hyena?
Dude, you live in a country where FSB can just force a kettlebell in your anus in the presence of your girlfriend, because you recited an offensive verse. Lack of self-awareness on some people, geez.
"Хохлосрач, хохлосрач никогда не меняется."- Фаллаут, наверное.
This dispute has been going on for decades and never leads to anything. And in any case, instantly turn into throwing shit at the monitor.
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