People in Donbas had been subjected to genocide by the Ukrainian government for eight years before February 2022.

Not in the ledger Claimed by Government of Russia on 24 February 2022.

Taken out of the ledger: Not a claim under the claim standard of 30 Oct 2026 (data-src/p1/DRAFTS.md): a position, demand or legal or political characterisation, not a checkable statement of fact. The statement stays in the record.

The statement

In a televised address announcing the invasion, President Putin said the goal was to protect people who had been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv government for eight years, and that Russia would seek the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.

Domestic audience · ru

1. Origin of the claim NPR Media · Unaffiliated origin: Putin televised address of 24 Feb 2022 · published 2022-02-24 00:00 UTC

Verdict history

Cite or reuse

The War Record, claim cl-20261027-m2tp, revision 2, https://thewarrecord.com/claims/cl-20261027-m2tp/

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