Roman Sheremeta explain how Putin lies about the Russian people in Donbas

Roman Sheremeta explain how Putin lies about the Russian people in Donbas.

It is a lie that “russian-speaking” Ukrainians want to be a part of russia.

The Kremlin has pushed a narrative that Ukraine is somehow split into a Ukrainian-speaking West and a russian-speaking East, and that people in those eastern parts should “decide for themselves” whether they want to remain part of Ukraine.

Let’s unpack why this is false on multiple levels.

1) There is no clear “russian-speaking region” with a separate identity.

The idea that Ukraine is clearly divided into Ukrainian-speaking and russian-speaking regions — and that these correspond to distinct peoples with distinct political identities — is a fabrication.

Language use in Ukraine was shaped over decades by Soviet-era policies of russification, not by some natural cultural division. Over time, russian became widely used in cities and industry due to political pressure and institutional incentives, not because people in the East suddenly became russians. Language in Ukraine has always been a gradient, not a hard border.

There is no abrupt linguistic line where one “people” ends and another begins — it’s a smooth transition from west to east that correlates with historical schooling, urbanization, and economic structures, not with an underlying “ethnic or political russian identity.”

Most importantly: speaking russian has never been equivalent to wanting to be part of russia.

2) When Ukraine became independent in 1991, people across the country overwhelmingly chose to be Ukrainian.

On December 1, 1991, Ukrainians voted in a nationwide referendum on independence. The question asked was: “Do you support the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine?”

Over 90 % of those who voted said yes, affirming independence from the Soviet Union. Turnout was high — about 84 % of eligible voters participated.  

This was not just in western Ukraine — even in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, regions often cited by russian propaganda as “pro-russia,” the vote for independence was clear and substantial: 84% of people in Donetsk and Luhansk voted for Ukraine to be independent from russia.

Not a single region with significant populations said “no” to independence — even Crimea, the most contested region historically, voted majority for independence.  

3) There is no constitutional path for a region of Ukraine to secede by referendum.

Since independence, Ukraine’s Constitution has explicitly protected the country’s territorial integrity. It does not allow parts of Ukraine to unilaterally decide to secede, even by popular vote.

This is not unique to Ukraine — constitutions around the world generally prohibit unilateral secession to protect stable governance and rule of law. So the idea that a “referendum” in some region could legally detach that region from Ukraine is unconstitutional.

4) The so-called “95% voted to join russia” numbers are complete fabrications.

Russian propaganda often claims that “95% of people in Donetsk and Luhansk voted to join russia.” That is just a made up number.

The only votes showing such numbers were so-called referendums organized by russia in 2014 and again after 2022, conducted under occupation, without international observers, without rule of law, and often at gunpoint. These votes have no credibility or legitimacy and are fraudulent, coercive exercises used to justify territorial grabs, not genuine expressions of free will.  

So what does all this mean?

There is no natural cultural or linguistic fault line splitting Ukraine into two political nations.

The Soviet policy of russification explains why russian was widely spoken — not some inherent political division.

When given a free, fair choice in 1991, people across Ukraine — including in Donetsk and Luhansk — overwhelmingly chose to be part of an independent Ukrainian state.

Neither international law nor Ukraine’s Constitution allows parts of the country to secede just because someone calls a referendum.

The high “pro-russia” numbers peddled by Kremlin propaganda have no basis in free, unbiased democratic will.

P.S. The photo shows a Ukrainian woman voting in the russian-organized referendum on whether her Ukrainian region should join russia.