Where did those separatist movements come from? Surely Russia didn't send thousands of people into Eastern Ukraine over generations after the second world war to settle, strengthen ties with Moscow, and extract wealth from the region. Why, that would make them colonizers!
Please read some book over the topic, who are Ruthenians and how they became Russians and Ukrainians. And how ukraininsation of Ruthenian and Russian population there been politics since 1918.
Lol the Ukrainian ssr literally enforced Ukrainianization policies. Russians and Ukrainians settled most of modern Southern Ukraine in tandem, Ukrainians are not "native" to half of their country. Ukraine and Russia's division is a very recent phenomenon started by Austro-Hungarian imperialists.
Where did those separatist movements come from? Surely Russia didn't send thousands of people into Eastern Ukraine over generations after the second world war to settle, strengthen ties with Moscow, and extract wealth from the region. Why, that would make them colonizers!
Please read some book over the topic, who are Ruthenians and how they became Russians and Ukrainians. And how ukraininsation of Ruthenian and Russian population there been politics since 1918.
Gogol definitely wasn’t referring to Ukraine as “Little Russia” in his stories. /s
Lol the Ukrainian ssr literally enforced Ukrainianization policies. Russians and Ukrainians settled most of modern Southern Ukraine in tandem, Ukrainians are not "native" to half of their country. Ukraine and Russia's division is a very recent phenomenon started by Austro-Hungarian imperialists.