Relying on indisputable facts

Having read the editorial of October 19 (‘True lies and false outrage’), I was once again reminded of how essential it is, when forming any conclusion, to rely solely on verified, indisputable facts. Otherwise, readers are presented with a false premise and the author – whether intentionally or not – steps onto the path of spreading misinformation, which inevitably carries reputational costs.

I fully share the view regarding the responsibility of the media for the accuracy of the information they disseminate. Yet, in the introductory part of the article, where you refer to the “fabricated” nature of Russia’s concerns over the discrimination of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine, I find serious flaws.

Let me stress that I am far from suspecting your esteemed editorial board of intentionally distorting the background and essence of the events in Ukraine. I attribute the interpretation you have offered merely to a lack of deeper familiarity with the subject.

And, yet, it would have been enough to look just a little wider to see that the so-called “Ukrainian crisis” did not begin in February 2022 but dates back to the coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014 – when forces driven by the idea of eradicating everything Russian came to power, determined to expel and, in some cases, physically eliminate, their fellow citizens who refused to renounce their Russian identity.

One only has to recall certain statements by the Kyiv authorities: V. Zelensky (November 2021) declared, “If you want to be Russian – go to Russia”, and referred to the population of Donbass as “subhumans”. Former acting president and parliamentary speaker A. Turchinov (February 2022) openly stated, “We are ready to destroy Russians wherever possible – not only in Ukraine, but beyond its borders, even on Russian territory”.

And what about the relentless bombings and shelling of Donbass since 2014, which have claimed the lives of thousands of civilians – women, children, the elderly? Or the so-called “friendship trains”, punitive expeditions of ultra-nationalist extremists travelling across the country to attack and terrorise Russian-speaking citizens?

Finally, the Odessa tragedy – May 2014 – when dozens of innocent people were burned alive in the Trade Union House after coming out for a peaceful rally in defence of the rights of Russian speakers. Those people were trapped inside a building set ablaze by frenzied neo-Nazis. Those who tried to escape by jumping from windows were shot or beaten to death with metal rods and sticks.

What about the relentless bombings and shelling of Donbass since 2014?- Andrey Lopukhov

According to official data, 48 people perished and more than 200 were injured, though eyewitnesses and human rights groups agree that the real death toll was significantly higher. Yet, there has been no investigation – no suspects, no trials, not even an attempt to uncover the truth! Despite abundant video evidence, the Kyiv authorities have neither found nor, more precisely, wished to find those responsible for that monstrous crime.

These are not interpretations; they are established facts. They speak for themselves and require no additional commentary for an impartial observer to see the scale of the threats and persecution faced by Russian-speaking people in Ukraine simply for remaining faithful to their roots.

Thus, there can be no talk of any “fabrication”, as your article suggests.

As for the issue of the violation of our compatriots’ rights, it has always been among Russia’s foremost concerns regarding the situation in Ukraine. This issue did not arise suddenly – certainly not “hours before” the start of the Special Military Operation, as you claim.

For years, my country consistently raised the matter of mass human rights abuses committed by the Kyiv regime, seeking to draw the attention of the international community. Yet, the Western elites, guided by their geopolitical interests, chose not to listen.

But you are absolutely right – millions of people did believe us. Because there are facts that cannot be denied. And it is those very facts that made people across the world see what was happening with their own eyes and draw their own conclusions.

Andrey Lopukhov is the ambassador of Russia.