Putin: Situation in Eastern Ukraine Looks Like Genocide

Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the situation in eastern Ukraine to “genocide” on Thursday, almost at the same time that US President Joe Biden held telephone conferences with his Ukrainian counterpart about the heightened tensions at the Russia-Ukraine border.

Putin made his remarks at a meeting of the Russian Presidential Council on Human Rights, in which he spoke about discrimination against Russian speakers outside Russia’s borders.

“I must say that Russophobia is the first step towards genocide,” the Russian leader said, among other things. He referred to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where many Russian speakers live. “You and I know what is happening in Donbas,” Putin said. “It certainly looks like genocide.”

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Minister Sergei Ryabkov (Foreign Affairs) compared the mounting tensions between Russia and the United States over Ukraine to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Washington is wary of the conglomeration of tens of thousands of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Russia was said to be preparing for a neighbouring country’s invasion next year, but Moscow vehemently denies that.

President Joe Biden has already warned Russians of “serious consequences” if they invade Ukraine. He held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky on Thursday. After the one and a half-hour conversation, the latter said that he had discussed options to relieve the tensions. Zelensky said feel empowered by the US support.