In 2014, Western media took a liking to frequent reporting on what they have deemed to be the "Ukrainian conflict," labeling the paid-by-russia militia and their russian troops as "separatists." russia created the perception in the West that Ukraine was persecuting the culture and identity of an independent group of people in the Donbas. Perception in hand, russia spun the narrative that this group of people wanted to cease being Ukrainian and form their own sub-republics adjacent to Mother russia.

Yulia and Olya discuss what really happened in Donetsk in 2014. Olya, a 16-year-old in 2014, was born and raised in the city of Donetsk, capital of Donetsk Oblast. Were there really pro-Russian crowds yearning to separate from Ukraine, so much so that they decided to create their own independent republics?

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