Thursday, December 9th, 2021
Conflict in Eastern Ukraine
Putin speaks of the beginning of “genocide”
Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine since 2014. More than 13,000 people have already fallen victim to the conflict. Russian President Putin compares the situation on the ground with an incipient genocide.
Amid the tensions surrounding Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has compared the conflict between pro-Russian fighters and the Ukrainian army in the east of the country to an incipient genocide. The Russian-speaking population in the disputed area is suffering from the “hostility towards Russia,” he said with a view to eastern Ukraine during a meeting of the Kremlin’s Human Rights Council. Putin said that hostility towards Russia was “a first step towards genocide”. “You and I know what is happening in Donbass,” added the head of state. “It certainly resembles genocide.” Putin has made similar comparisons about the conflict in eastern Ukraine before, including 2015 and 2019.
In eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian militias and the Ukrainian army have been fighting each other since 2014 after Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. In the conflict, Russia supports the separatists who have proclaimed so-called People’s Republics in Luhansk and Donetsk. More than 13,000 people have already been killed in the fighting.
Tensions between Russia and the West in the Ukraine conflict had recently intensified. Given a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, there are fears that Moscow could attack the neighboring country. Moscow rejects this and accuses Ukraine of provocations.
US President Joe Biden held a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj about the conflict during the day. Zelenskyi thanked Biden for his “strong support” of Ukraine after the interview. Biden and Putin had exchanged views on the conflict in eastern Ukraine at a video summit on Tuesday. In the event of an invasion, Biden threatened Putin with unprecedented US sanctions. However, the US President has so far ruled out a direct military confrontation with Russia.
Russian fighter jets intercept military aircraft
Germany and France want to continue their mediation efforts in the Ukraine crisis. “This work must continue,” said French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference. He was referring to the so-called Normandy Format, which brings France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine together in the search for a solution to the crisis. However, Russia recently avoided the format. Paris and Berlin have been trying to make progress in this round for several years. Macron also stressed that the Normandy format had prevented the situation from deteriorating and had produced results.
According to Russian information, fighter jets intercepted military aircraft of the French and US armies over the Black Sea. The defense ministry said the five planes turned back after the Russian airmen intercepted them.